Man in a Can
by Miss Starfire
Summary: With most of their problems solved, newlyweds Pepper and Tony Stark embrace their future together and tackle the challenges of parenthood, hoping for normalcy to finally arrive to their lives. However, when you're married to a retired superhero and are about to become one yourself, living a normal life is NOT an option. SEQUEL TO SHADOWS OF THE PAST.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** New to this story? Make sure to read its prequel – **SHADOWS OF THE PAST**. Otherwise, welcome back! I don't own IM3, or Marvel or RDJ…though the last one wouldn't hurt.

Remember most of my stories, including this one, are written for the half-screen option here at FF. You'll see fewer line/paragraph breaks if you set it to half-screen.

**SUMMARY:** With most of their problems solved, newlyweds Pepper and Tony Stark embrace their future together and tackle the challenges of parenthood, hoping for normalcy to finally arrive to their lives. However, when you're married to a retired superhero and are about to become one yourself, living a normal life is NOT an option. SEQUEL TO SHADOWS OF THE PAST.

**WARNING:** My stories are graphic, angsty, frustrating, filled with cliffhangers, drama and foul language. Read at your own risk – medical issues and subsequent bills are not covered by yours truly ;)

This is just a tease of the awesomeness to come!

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**MAN IN A CAN**

**Prologue**

The design of the prison cell that S.H.I.E.L.D. had created for the Hulk was dwarfed in comparison to the containment unit they had created for Aldrich Killian. While the man was not as strong as the raged beast, his ability to melt to ashes whatever he touched made it difficult to find the appropriate material that would keep the scientist from escaping his new permanent home. Fearing the U.S. Government would abuse the knowledge Killian held regarding DNA and brain manipulation, S.H.I.E.L.D. had spent days and nights making sure the man was beyond reach, save for a selected few.

Their security protocols had been tested when, after only a week since subduing the former CEO of AIM, a handful of his Extremis soldiers had tried to breach the facility to release their master. The surprise attack had been a wake-up call for Nick Fury, who had been left with no option but to bargain with the leader of the perpetrators. In exchange for his knowledge and cooperation, Nick Fury had given the mad scientist three things.

The first bargaining chip had been access to a television set, complete with surround sound, cable and satellite services, and even a DVR, which Killian daily enjoyed for hours on end. Having nothing else to do and nowhere else to go, the scientist's restlessness was diminished by the simple contraption. He knew that his freedom from the base was not going to come to him unless he called upon his entire army, but calling upon them all at once would only make it easier for his death to come to him. He had become aware that his latest scheme had attracted the attention of the last enemy he had made before attacking Stark, and such enemy was certainly looking to get even. He had no other option but to make himself at home in the tiny cell while S.H.I.E.L.D. inadvertently protected him from the real monster behind the creation of the Extremis 2.0.

The second privilege Aldrich had negotiated with Fury was reducing the days he was put under sedation. While the R&D group at S.H.I.E.L.D., and Tony and Bruce themselves, figured out how to prevent Killian from manipulating Pepper once more, Killian had been put under an artificial coma. This practice had been increased after the attack of the five Extremis soldiers to keep the casualties as low as possible. Nick knew that the attack had been planned by Killian not as an escape option, but as a way of showing what he could do if given the chance. When he had been questioned about how to find the identity of his army that was still at his disposition, Aldrich had laughed out loud, saying that Nick could not imagine how many people he had infected while he was presumed dead for the past year. An actual number or locations were not released.

As a result of learning Killian still had the option of causing havoc while under surveillance, and at the same time needing him awake to expedite the search for the other Extremis soldiers before another mad scientist decided to study one of them and use their power for their evil plans, Nick had agreed to reduce his coma-induced episodes as long as he provided a way to find the other infected humans. Aldrich had agreed to giving up the method to finding and curing his army, but had also placed a strict condition of when, where, how, and whom to slowly release this valuable information.

The third condition Killian had placed had been unexpected, and while Nick had already intended on recruiting the new superhero in town, he had despised the fact that her first mission would be to face and work with the man that had made her life miserable in the past. Despite what others thought about him, Nick Fury respected his team, and while placing them in dangerous and uncomfortable situations was not out of the norm, the fact that he was placing a mother in danger hit a chord within the veteran strategist. He knew Pepper had not asked for the responsibility that had befallen her when she was forced to go undergo the acquisition of the Extremis virus, but this did not mean she was immune to sharing the obligation of putting her powers to good use.

Thus, when he had been left with no option but to show up at the doorstep of her new home to discuss her important role in clearing the world of the Extremis soldiers, he had done so with a humbleness and reluctance that was not characteristic of him. He had known bringing her on board was already going to be difficult due to the expected resistance from her husband, but he had trusted her strong character would not be affected by Tony Stark's rants.

Tony and Pepper had been as shocked as Fury had been, when he was forced to relay to them the severity of the Extremis virus' spread. However, this shock did not compare to the rage that filled Tony when he learned that Aldrich had agreed to help exterminate his own army if and only if Aldrich himself was the one who taught Pepper how to use her powers with the ease he possessed.

Pepper Potts-Stark did not like the idea. Nick Fury did not like the idea. General Rhodes and Happy Hogan did not like it, either. However, they all agreed that the evil was more than necessary for the sake of the greater good.

Tony Stark, on the other hand, _DESPISED, LOATHED, _and_ HATED_ the idea.

He despised it not only because Aldrich would bask in Pepper's presence without deserving it, but also because he understood Pepper's involvement with the Avengers Initiative was essential. He loathed it because, in the blink of an eye, their roles had been reversed, and it was now _his_ turn to feel the frustration and anxiety that came from seeing the one you love risk their lives every day to save others. He hated it because Pepper's new abilities made him feel inadequate to protect her. Pepper could easily kick his ass (since he would never fight back) and look beautiful while doing it too, but the idea that she did not _need _him for protection irked him. He had hoped for a normal life. He had hoped for his worst problems to be nothing more than getting a call from his kids' teacher about their misbehaving in school. Above all, he had hoped to spare Pepper from the life he had given up.

It was a silly notion, he knew, but it did not make it any less attractive than the new reality of their lives. At no point before the day Nick Fury had appeared at his home, had Tony Stark hated himself so much from ever uttering those words that changed his life.

_I am Iron Man._

Back then, he had felt indestructible, invincible, on top of the fucking world. Today, he just considered himself, more than ever, nothing more than a man in a can.

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**A/N:** YAY! Welcome back, all! This story is going to have a little bit more action than the previous one, and I hope to bring some of the other Avengers into the mingle. As far as updates, my business launches on June 1st, so they might be delayed. I hope you still decide to stick around :D


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Pepper, where's my drill? Pepper!" Tony yelled as he climbed up the stairs from his basement lab. He had been slowly restocking his tools and trinkets since they had moved back into their Malibu home a few weeks ago, and he had just now begun rebuilding his two faithful work companions: Dum-E and Butterfingers.

"Pepper? Pepper!" Tony continued his incessant screaming for his wife as he reached the living room to find his children lying on the floor, on top of a blanket. The twins were surrounded by a baby fence and were silently playing with their toys. Tony leaned down and addressed his kids as if they understood every word he said.

"Robbie, Gigi, do _you_ know where your mommy hid _my_ toys?"

The two babies stared at their father for a second as if determining whether what their daddy was doing was anything amusing enough for them to continue directing their attention at him. An instant later, they decided that it was not important enough for them and returned their eyes to their toys.

"Nope? Didn't think so." The billionaire said before looking up and heading to the kitchen. "Pepper? Honey, I need my drill!"

Tony reached the entrance of the kitchen to find Pepper and a strange woman heading to the door, almost bumping into the bewildered man. Pepper had been at the front of the two-people line, so he placed his hands on her upper arms, keeping her in place and from leaving the room.

"Hey, babe, have you seen my drill?" Tony asked as if the other woman was not even present; his one-track mind preventing him from acknowledging the stranger in their home. Then again, he had an idea of what the woman's reason for being here was, and he knew she would not be around for long if he had any say in the matter.

"Tony," Pepper began in her all-business tone, "this is Gillian Smith." She said as she pointed to the woman behind her. "She's interviewing for the caretaker position."

Tony directed his attention to the woman long enough to look at her up and down before returning his attention to his wife. "I don't think so. My drill?"

Pepper cleared her voice as she looked over her shoulder and apologized to the woman, asking her to ignore Tony's comment. The woman, however, still felt uncomfortable with Tony's immediate dismissal of her opportunity to work with the Stark family, but tried her best to keep a neutral face.

"Ms. Smith, do you mind giving us a minute? Why don't you get to know the babies a little bit better?"

Tony's retort to Pepper's request died in his mouth when Pepper discretely pinched Tony's arm as she moved them both to the side so that Gillian could leave the kitchen. Tony waited until the woman was out of earshot to remove his fake smile.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Tony, honestly! How are we ever going to find a babysitter if you keep scaring off every single one that makes it to the final interview?"

Tony pursed his lips, remembering the long line of babysitters that had run away, fearing for their life when Tony had tried testing their resilience by using them as target practice for calibrating his suit's repulsors.

"Pepper, we don't need a babysitter. Dum-E, Butterfingers and Jarvis will do just fine."

Pepper's face of _almost_ controlled annoyance was all the response he needed from her before he continued making his case.

"Sweetheart, you know we are never going to find someone who can put up with our lives. We'd need someone to live here with us all day in case a mission comes around. Why don't we just ask Rhodey and Happy to move in? They did once before already, and…"

"No. I'm _not _going to bother them with more babysitting. They've got lives too, you know?"

"They do?" Tony asked, scrunching his nose.

"Oh, brother." Pepper said as she pulled herself from Tony's grasp and headed to the exit. Tony quickly caught up with her, pulling her back inside the kitchen before she could leave. He pushed her back against the edge of the counter and surrounded her by resting his hands on the edge of it.

"Pep, sorry, OK? I just…I don't trust anyone to watch over my kids, you know? Hell, sometimes I don't even trust myself."

Pepper exhaled deeply, shaking her head. She too had concerns about hiring outside help for their children, but her duty as an Avenger now called for her to considering options she had not wanted to think about before. She had been aware that accepting Nick Fury's offer would bring complications to their lives, but she had not realized how difficult it would be to find competent help they could both trust.

"I know, Tony, but what else am I supposed to do?"

"Well," Tony began, shrugging at her, "we could always do what I suggested. I can stay behind. They don't really need me, right? I'm just a consultant."

Pepper lifted her hands and held his face within them. She rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs, giving him a small smile.

"You're not _just _a consultant. You are Iron Man."

"Yeah, well…" he said, unable to finish his retort. He knew they really did not need him unless they needed someone to break all the laws of the United States to perform research, or a fancy and handy piece of technology they could not find anywhere else. His suit had become obsolete the moment a demigod, a 70-year-old superhuman, two master assassins, and a gamma-radiation monster appeared in his life. And, now that the elite team had added another member with super strength and the ability to incinerate a villain's ass, his gold-titanium alloy toy was as useful as a lifesaver in the middle of the fucking desert.

"Tony, you don't give yourself enough credit. Fury needs you; The Avengers need you. _I_ need you."

"And Robbie and Gigi need me more. I can always stay online with you via Jarvis. Besides, I won't be of much use if I spend half of the mission gawking at you instead of keeping my eyes on the target, right?"

Pepper bit her lip as she remembered the outfit she had been assigned to wear during missions. She had been given a cat suit much like the one the Black Widow wore, but it had quickly turned to be counterproductive for her type of powers. With this thought in mind, she had agreed for it to be modified so that it was sleeveless and paired with shorts rather than pants since she tended to feel constricted when she had to _heat _things up. The knee-high boots complemented her long legs, and while it had been designed with the intention of allowing Pepper's skin to breathe when she had to use her fire power, she could not dismiss the possibility that Nick had asked for this particular tight and revealing design just to mess with Tony's head.

Her mind wandered as she remembered the first time Tony had seen her wearing the uniform, and the dramatic scene the darn outfit had caused.

_Pepper took advantage of Tony passing out in his lab to try on the uniform that had just arrived from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s offices. She opened the box and stared at the tight and revealing outfit, wondering how many people would confuse her with a prostitute rather than a member of The Avengers. However, she had conceded with the designers that she needed something that would breathe and adjust to her powers without leaving her naked in the middle of a mission. As a mother, she was not fond of showing off her legs and curves to the world, but she had also learned she needed to feel she was not limited by the clothes she wore._

_Sighing loudly as she stared at herself in the mirror, she took off her clothes and put on the black piece of spandex and boots. If the Avenger symbol had not been embroidered on the left side of her chest, she could have easily passed as a lady of the night, working the corners of the streets. Her thoughts prevented her from hearing the door of the bedroom opening, and it was not until she heard it close followed by Tony's gasp that she realized she had been caught._

"_Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"_

_Pepper turned around and tried to cover herself with a blanket, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with Tony's look._

"_Babe, if I'd known you were into that, I'd have brought it up sooner! Let me get my leather outfit and we'll get it on!"_

_As Tony began walking around the room looking for said outfit, Pepper frantically tried to stop him while dragging the blanket with her._

"_Tony! It's not what you think! Stop!"_

"_Pep, there's no need to be shy!"_

"_I'm not shy! This is not for…that."_

"_What do you mean it's not for that?" he asked as he continued rummaging through his drawers. "If not for that, then what's it for?"_

_Pepper sighed loudly, grabbing his hands to stop his search and pulled him to face her. She looked to the side as she let go of the blanket she had been trying to cover herself with and pointed to the symbol on her chest._

_Tony stared at it for a second before his eyes widened. He then stared at her and at the symbol consecutively a few times before bending down and picking up the blanket, covering Pepper's body completely with it._

"_What the _fuck_ is he thinking? You're NOT going out to the streets dressed like that!"_

"_Tony, listen to me…"_

"_NO! Nope, NOT gonna happen!"_

"_Tony, I asked for something like this."_

"_Uh, hell no! You don't need a fancy outfit," he began, not bothering to listen to what she had to say. He began staring everywhere around him as if looking for a quick alternative to solve his new predicament. His eyes lit up when he found one, walking away from her and running to the window._

"_See? This! This is perfect!" he said as he pulled at the fabric._

"_Tony, that's a curtain!"_

"_Yes! And you know what curtains are good for? COVERING WHAT SHOULDN'T BE SEEN BY THE NEIGHBORS! It's perfect!"_

"_TONY!" Pepper said, her arms flailing in the air and causing the blanket to fall to her feet once more._

"_Don't like it? Too old school? Well," he said as he walked back to her, picking up the blanket from the floor and placing it on her shoulders. "This blanket doesn't seem too bad either. I can…uhm, cut some holes in it for your arms, and then…"_

"_TONY!"_

"_WHAT?"_

"_I'm not wearing a blanket or a curtain to missions!"_

"_Why not? It's…progressive!"_

"_Progressive, are you kidding me?"_

"_Not at all." He said, convinced of the accuracy of his statement. When Pepper narrowed her eyes at him, he sighed and shook his head. "OK, OK. So, maybe the curtain or the blanket is too much."_

"_Thank you…"_

"_But, what about a nun outfit? You can be the…the…uhm…Flying Nun?"_

"_It's taken."_

"_How about the eh-uhm, Flying Woman?"_

"_Flying? What does it have to be flying? I don't fly."_

"_Well, how about the Non-Flying Woman…Nun?"_

"_Tony…"_

"_Pepper…"_

"_The outfit is staying."_

"_But…"_

"_No buts."_

"_See? That's what I said! No butts, especially yours…I mean, God! How did you put this on? Using grease?"_

"_Tony…"_

"_I mean, if you're into that stuff I can get in on it, too."_

_Pepper stared at him, waiting for his little random rant to end. When Tony realized she was no longer going to respond to his incoherencies, he exhaled._

"_Fine! But if anyone tries anything stupid I swear…"_

"_It's OK. If anyone does try anything silly, I'll give you their name and address. Alright?"_

"_Alright."_

_Feeling they'd come to an agreement, Pepper hugged Tony, almost forgetting his earlier suggestion. "So, leather, huh?" she managed to purr before Tony lifted her from the floor and took her to their bed._

"Tony, you can't spend the next 18 years putting your life on hold for the kids. It's not healthy and it's not fair. Why don't we compromise?"

"How?"

"You can watch over the kids a few days out of the week while you train our new babysitter so that when you do have to leave them behind, you feel comfortable doing so. How does it sound?"

Tony considered his options, and while he was still reluctant to accept, he knew Pepper was correct. One day The Avengers might need him in action, and he could not risk leaving them hanging –leaving Pepper on a mission hanging, just because he refused to hire a nanny.

"OK. But she won't live here. I like our privacy."

"Deal."

After giving Tony a quick peck on the lips, and telling him his drill was in their bedroom where he had dropped it last night, Pepper left the kitchen and returned to the living room to hire Gillian Smith.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve was in awe at meeting the twins for the first time. Pepper and Tony had brought them to S.H.I.E.L.D. again to get analyzed for side-effects of the Extremis virus as they had for a couple of weeks now. When they had been conceived, Pepper had not been infected with the virus, but Tony had implanted a variation of it in him. Afterward, Pepper's exposure to the virus had been present during their development, so the two parents worried their children could fall prey to the misfires the previous Extremis soldiers were victim of.

"I can't believe these are Stark's kids!" Steve said as he held Gigi in his arms. The baby girl had taken an immediate liking to the soldier, and Robbie had taken to Natasha. "I mean, I didn't think anyone would want to have Tony' Stark's kids!"

The Black Widow suppressed a chuckle, silently almost agreeing with Steve. Truth was that the shock of learning someone normal was attracted enough to the billionaire to the point of marrying him was great enough, but finding the former playboy had also managed to convince the poor woman of bearing his kids was beyond Steve's comprehension and belief.

Romanoff, however, had seen the interaction between Pepper and Tony, and had expected this moment sooner rather than later. She could not figure out how they made it work, but they did, and in the end that was all that mattered to them.

"Don't let Stark hear you. He'll never shut up his bitching."

"Yeah, I know." Steve said, smiling down at the giggling girl. "Where are they, anyway?"

"They're getting ready to talk to Killian." Hawkeye said as he walked inside the room. He stole a quick glance at Natasha and at Steve, feeling uncomfortable to find the two sharing a personal moment such as this. Clint was not blind to the attraction that the Captain had for the Russian-born assassin, but he had dismissed it early-on knowing Natasha found love to be an inconvenience; a waste of time.

However, seeing how much Natasha and Steve had been bonding since they had been assigned to work together on missions rather than with him anymore, their interactions had become more personable, leaving him to wonder if the charm of the Man out of Time was winning her over, little by little.

"Hey, Barton, want to meet them?" Natasha offered as she walked up to her former partner. Clint nodded to her and took Robbie from her arms, expertly cradling the baby on his chest.

"Hey, there little guy! Please don't grow up to be a jerk, like your dad, OK?"

Natasha snickered at the sincerity with which Barton had uttered his plea to the infant. It seemed it was common hope that neither of the babies grew up to be like the billionaire.

"When you're done with that one, you and Steve can trade." She suggested, almost missing the look of disdain in Clint's eyes. He blinked it away and replaced his gesture with a smile before concentrating on playing with Robbie.

"Well, the new recruits are waiting for me to train them. Keep the babies alive, OK?" The Black Widow said before giving the babies one last glance and leaving the room. The two men stared at each other for an instant, not sure what to do now that the object of their affection was gone.

"Wanna trade?" Steve finally asked, feeling uncomfortable to be in a room with the man he knew had picked up on his intentions with Natasha.

"Sure, why not." Clint responded before walking closer to the Captain and awkwardly exchanging the infants. Their silence ended when Clint turned on the television of the waiting room, making sure cartoons were visible to entertain the kids.

xxxXXXxxx

"Are you sure you're ready, Potts?" Tony asked his wife by using the engrained term of endearment, following her closely behind as she headed to the entrance of Killian's containment cell. She had just undergone a procedure to implant a chip on the base of her skull, and it had been painful enough to make her ask for a moment to compose herself. All the efforts from S.H.I.E.L.D., Bruce and Tony had come together to create a device that would prevent Killian from controlling her again. However, the procedure to make it functional had been rather uncomfortable and left her with a headache and a feeling of dizziness.

"I'm OK, Tony. It won't take long." She assured him as she stopped in front of the doors that lead to Aldrich's room.

"If he tries anything funny, Pepper, just holler, alright?"

Pepper nodded to him, more to comfort him than in agreement. If the chip in her body did prevent her from becoming Aldrich's slave again –testing its effectiveness being the main purpose of this meeting, she was confident that if Killian did try something she did not approve of, she'd be capable of handling it herself.

The doors finally opened and she walked inside the anteroom of the unit. The doors locked behind her before the doors in front of her opened to reveal Aldrich's form standing in the middle of the room. Tony joined Nick Fury in the monitoring room, eyeing Killian's every move.

Inside the unit, Pepper took enough steps to clear the anteroom's area, but not enough to stand close the man she had learned to loathe. When the man in question also did not make any attempt to coming near her, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and cocked her head to the side.

"So, what do you want?"

"Is that really the way to greet your alleged lover, Pepper?" Killian asked referring to the fake video he had made sure the world saw.

Pepper was not amused at the comment, knowing he was trying to get under her skin. She in turn gave him a mocking smile Tony had only seen her use when she was escorting out the easy bitches he used to bring to his home.

"This is how I greet the lovers I've had that left me unfulfilled in bed."

Killian chuckled, taking on the challenge she had just set on the table for him. It was this fire in her that had attracted him to her since they've met, and it was this fire that had led him to try and keep her for himself.

"That's not how I remembered it, love. I remember you asking for more."

Pepper smiled again, daring to take enough steps to stand inches away from him. "Of course I'd ask for more. Didn't I just say I wasn't satisfied? You know, for a guy who is always hot," she said as she poked his chest, heating it up so that it burned thru his clothes, "your bedroom skills leave far too much to be desired."

The tip of her finger finally reached his skin, digging in deeper, burning through flesh, cartridge and bone. Killian tried to keep his composure, but he knew the version of Extremis Pepper had was capable of producing a more intense heat than his, so he took a step back to stop the torture that could end in his death.

"What is it, Killian? Am I too hot for you?" Pepper asked in her best impression of Tony's usual condescending tone.

Killian covered the hole in his chest as he waited for the regeneration to take place, feeling the pain but secretly admiring the power the woman now held. "Did Fury tell you what you're here for?" he asked, trying to change the subject to protect his weakness.

"He told me you need to keep a deal you made with him."

"Did he give you the details?"

"I don't need any details. Just tell me what you want so you can go back to dying in here."

"You hurt me, my dear. Aren't you thrilled to spend some time with your creator?"

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him, her patience growing thin with his games. She walked up to him and grabbed him by his throat, immediately glowing orange as she burned the flesh of his neck.

"Either you tell me right now what you want, or I'll pull the information from your dead body."

Killian grabbed her arm with both of his, trying to remove her grip from him. When his effort proved unsuccessful, he nodded to her, leading her to drop him on the floor. He coughed as his vocal chords and pipe regenerated before speaking again to her.

"Pepper, darling, you have not learned to control your powers, yet. You need to be taught how to do so in order to find your brothers and sisters."

Pepper controlled her anger the best she could, the glow diminishing considerably but still present in small amounts. Killian stood up and dared to come close to her once more, admiring her figure up and down.

"God, you're as gorgeous as I remember you. You were already beautiful, and now you're also lethal –perfect combination. Did Tony lose the cast yet?"

Tony's cast had been removed a week ago, but he was still having trouble using his arm as it adjusted itself back to full mobility again. She knew he was fishing for information that he could not obtain from the media. Pepper's eyes darted to the corner where she knew Nick and Tony watched their meeting, as if trying to communicate with them that she was done talking to Aldrich for the day.

When her eyes returned to face Killian once more, the smile on his face made her stomach churn. "When do we start?"

Killian clapped a single time before putting his overlapped hands over his chest. "Wonderful to have you on board, Pepper! How about in a week from today? I think I can fit you in my busy schedule."

"Why not now?" Pepper asked, fishing for information herself.

"Because, Pepper, patience is the _first_ thing you need to master in order to control your gifts. Without patience, you won't learn a thing."

"Have it your way. You aren't going anywhere, anyway." She said as she shrugged at him. "I will see you here in a week." She finished, eager to leave the room. She then turned around and, as soon as her back was to him, he enthusiastically smacked her right butt cheek. He enjoyed his victory for only a second before Pepper jumped in the air and roundhouse kicked him in the face, dislocating his jaw with the hit.

Killian fell to the floor once more, but this time he remained on it as he tried to put his jaw back into place.

"I will wait patiently all week to do that to you again," Pepper said before walking to the anteroom. The doors opened as soon as she reached them, and closed immediately behind her retreating form. By the time she reached Tony, he was being held down in place by Nick, Phil and Bruce.

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**A/N:** Hera, girl, you cracked me up! Thank you all for setting up your alerts and leaving wonderful reviews. I will try to sneak some writing time during breaks and afternoons, hoping I can update faster than anticipated. As with the last story, I have only a vague idea of where it's going, so just bear with me, please. Can't wait to hear more from you!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2  
**

It had taken Pepper _hours_ to somewhat calm down the fuming Tony after her encounter with Killian, to the point that she had to use her new strength –despite how much she hated using it on him, to restrain Tony so she could bring him home. He had kicked and screamed on his way back, cursing louder and much longer than Pepper had ever heard him before. She even had to go as far as covering the babies with earmuffs to prevent any of their first words to be: _Motherfucking son of a bitch –I'm gonna beat the living shit out of the asshole so hard that his rotten whore of a mother will feel it in her fucking grave!_

And this had been the nicest thing he had said.

Toward the end of their drive back home, Pepper swore Tony had switched to several of the many foreign languages he spoke to continue his cursing. He usually favored Italian in honor of his mother, but Pepper was sure Maria Stark did not teach her mother tongue to her son so that he could release anger in such colorful ways.

"Brutto figlio di puttana…" Pepper heard Tony mumble, pacing the hall outside the nursery while Pepper put Robbie and Gigi to sleep. "Merde! Brûle en enfer!" he continued as she began walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"Le voy a partir toda su m-"

"Tony?"

Tony's rant stopped midsentence, his nose flaring and eyes shining in anger, but he managed to speak back to her in a soft voice. "Are they asleep?"

"Soundly; let's keep it that way, OK? The testing made them exhausted." She responded, knowing that their poor children would undergo many months of medical examinations and experiments until they could tell with certainty that they were out of the woods.

Tony nodded as he rubbed his face with his hands. He then turned around and headed to the basement, followed closely by Pepper. She kept her safe distance from her husband, giving him the space he needed for now. He did not prevent her from coming inside his man cave, but walked straight to his workstation and sat in his comfortable chair.

He waved his hand across the three screens in front of him, waking them up from their stand-by mode as if he was ready to work, but his only following gesture was to stare at the middle screen, not truly reading the contents of it. Pepper eyed him from a distance, waiting for him to show signs of busyness. When he remained silent and practically not blinking, Pepper walked up to him and surrounded him from behind with her arms, kissing the crown of his head.

"I love you, Tony."

Tony exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes and lifting his hands to hold onto her linked ones on his chest. He rested the back of his head on her, taking in a deep breath to fill his nostrils with the scent of her perfume.

"I'm so frustrated, Pepper." He finally said shifting his body so that his head hung and his eyes were covered by his fists, putting the weight of his head on his bent arms. "Why can't we catch a break?"

Pepper pulled away from him, twirling the swivel chair so that he faced her. She sat on his lap as he remained in the chair, holding onto him by resting her forearms on his shoulders, and digging her knees in his sides without hurting him. He helped her stay in place by holding onto her waist, absentmindedly rubbing circles with his thumbs on her belly.

"Why do you feel that we aren't catching a break? What's really bothering you?"

"Everything…and nothing, really…I, uhm, I'm not used to not being in control, Potts."

"Is that all?" Pepper responded, smiling warmly at him to show that this was not news to her. "Who says you're not in control? You control your company, you control who comes to your house, you control who has access to your suit. Should I continue?"

"That's not what I mean, Pep. I have no say in what missions you take on for S.H.I.E.L.D. I have no control over whether my kids are gonna end up blowing themselves up thanks to the fucking virus that I probably passed on to them. I have no control over what that prick Killian does or say to you –or any other prick you encounter on missions, for that matter. All I can do is sit here; pray that I can find a cure for my kids, for…for _you_, so you don't have to be responsible for cleaning up someone else's mess. I just…I finally have everything I love in one place, but I don't feel that I can keep it with me for long. I feel I'm gonna lose it somehow, and there isn't a damned thing I can do about it."

"You worry too much, Tony –and for nothing. Why are you even upset at Killian, or what he did? They are just words; desperate attempts at ruining the things he can't have. You've paid your dues, baby. Why don't you try and enjoy the perks, huh?"

Tony pressed Pepper closer to him, resting the side of his face on her chest. "I love you, Pepper. Don't ever,_ ever_ forget that."

Pepper smiled down at him, pulling him off her just enough to cup his face in her hands. "Don't let me forget." She whispered to him before leaning down and capturing his lips.

xxxXXXxxx

General Rhodes sat in front of the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. slowly processing the information he had just been given. While he was still recovering his full stamina that had been lost when Pepper had beaten him within an inch of his life, he had been able to keep up with his military responsibilities as anticipated, and hoped no retribution for his long leave of absence would come to him. However, when his superior had suddenly called him to a meeting, the last thing he had expected was to be given a notice of his honorable discharge, effective immediately.

Rhodey tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair he was sitting in; overly analyzing every word he had just been told.

"So, you're the reason I got fired?"

"Fired is such a strong term, sir. I prefer: prudently reassigned."

"Same difference. You could've given me an option, you know? What if I didn't want to quit the Air Force? Do you know how much time and effort I've devoted to serving my country?"

"Enough for us to take notice; Agents Romanoff, Barton and Coulson believe you'd be a great addition to our organization. We only recruit the best, so here you are."

"I'm honored, I am, really. But, is this really standard procedure around here? 'cause I don't think I'm gonna like that."

"Is that an acceptance speech?"

"You don't leave me much option now, do you?"

"The Avengers Initiative is very important to us. We wouldn't be inviting you to be part of it if we didn't have the need or the certainty that you could be of service to your country in a more…specialized manner."

"What about Pepper?"

"What about her?"

"Didn't you just recruit her too? Are Tony and the others not enough?"

Fury leaned forward to his desk, resting his elbows on it. He gave a look to Rhodey that told him he was having a difficult time determining how much information to relay to the close friend of the billionaire. After his internal debate ended, Fury nodded to himself as if reassuring that what he was about to do was right.

"I trust you can keep my line of reasoning for recruiting you a secret? Think of it as top secret information no one outside this room is to find out about."

"As long as it ain't illegal."

"Not at all."

"Then, shoot."

"Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts are essential members of our team, but let's be honest with ourselves about their true concerns. They have a family to support and protect, and while we need their expertise, we cannot rely on them forever. Stark is –and please do not let him know I said this, one of my strongest, if not _the_ strongest member I have in my team –not physically of course, but otherwise, absolutely. If it weren't for his quick thinking, Manhattan would've joined the ranks of Chernobyl.

"Ms. Potts gifts go beyond riding Stark's ass all day, a gift that in-and-of itself is crucial to keeping the man on track. Her new powers are just a convenience we need for now. As soon as her mission is complete, I have no doubt she will step back to be a full-time mom. By then, I will need to replace them both, and even if Stark shows up every now and then, I can't impose on him for much longer after Potts resigns."

James nodded slowly, taking in Fury's words. The only image of Nick he had was one created by Tony's constant bitching of the man, but this meeting with him was quickly changing what he thought he knew about the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"So, you're bringing me in because Iron Patriot is just Iron Man's stepbrother? I don't have Tony's brains, you know?"

"We can always pick his brain, but we also have to learn to work without relying on his constant support."

Rhodey shrugged, conceding Nick's point. Fury's logic did make sense to him, and he too had thought about the consequences of Tony settling down for good. In a few years, he would have other things to worry about, and he and no one should expect him to be Iron Man for the rest of his life. He, on the other hand, had nothing to lose. He knew Tony and Pepper would understand, and perhaps even be relieved that their services would be called upon only when absolutely required.

"Count me in," Rhodey finally said before adding "I want my own room, though. I don't do roommates."

Nick Fury gave him an honest smile.

xxxXXXxxx

Clint watched the fierce training session taking place in front of him with a combination of awe and jealousy. The professional in him told him that there was nothing more pathetic than a trained assassin gushing over matters of the heart in the likes of a teenaged girl. Yet, his yearning heart told him there was something he could probably do to come clean with his feelings with her before his dim chances of being with his former partner became completely non-existent.

A loud scream caught his attention once more, readjusting his vision only to see Natasha being pinned down by Steve for the tenth time since they had begun training. Her heavy breathing and angry eyes told Clint she was tired of being beat by the Captain, but even her skills and years of experience did not match the enhancements Rogers possessed. In fact, he was shocked that the Captain was not holding back on her.

Hawkeye crossed his arms in front of his chest when the two in front of him remained in their positions on the floor for longer than expected. It was not until Barton cleared his throat that Rogers remembered he had an audience, effectively bringing him back from his reverie. The Captain cleared his throat as well, getting up from Natasha and offering his hand to help her stand up. Natasha accepted the help but released her hand from his grip immediately after she found her footing.

"I think I'm done, Steve. You've hurt my pride enough for today."

"Natasha, I'm sorry…I…"

"Don't worry about it. That's your job." She said, walking away from him and jumping off the ring. She picked up her duffel bag and almost bumped into Barton had he not moved out of her way. When Clint realized she had not even noticed him, he stared at Steve for an instant before chasing after Romanoff.

The redhead did not stop her hastily pace until she reached the common showers. She could have easily gone to her room to clean up herself but she felt her anger would prevent her from finding her way back to her quarters; she wanted to clear her mind and do it now. She was so engrossed in her rage that she did not notice Barton following her inside until he called out to her as she began undressing.

"Whoa, hey, I'm here."

Natasha, who was currently giving her back to the man, did everything in her power to prevent her recoil from showing. She had only taken off her blouse, and while she knew Barton had seen her in much less during long missions where they had to hide in the shadiest of places to remain undercover, the fact that they were both alone in a place where they did not have to resort to changing in front of the other made her slightly uncomfortable.

"What is it, Barton?" She asked, throwing her blouse inside her bag and picking it up from the floor. She walked to one of the enclosures for the showers, and after checking for dryness, she dumped her bag back on the floor. Barton followed her inside the small enclosure, standing behind her and closing the door behind him. It became obvious to her that he had something important enough to say that just could not wait.

"It's Clint, not Barton."

Natasha stared at him from behind her shoulder, debating whether or not she should kick him out of the shower unit. She did not put her blouse back on, but after taking a deep breath she turned to face the archer, trusting his eyes would remain on her face and not travel down to her chest.

"What?"

"My name is Clint. Since when do you call me Barton when we're alone, Nat?" Clint would have usually not invaded her space and corner her like this, but he was quickly growing desperate with her recent attitude change toward him. Having these types of conversations with her was always challenging, but he had learned a few tricks to ask one question to get an answer for another.

"Is that what you came here to tell me? Geez, Barton, you should've just written me a note."

"Cut the bullshit, Natasha, and tell me what's wrong."

"You mean besides you walking in here and thinking you can threaten me or something?"

"I'M NOT…" he began, his voice louder than he had intended. He exhaled deeply to calm his nerves, resting his hands on ether sides of the walls. "I'm not trying to threaten you –I'd be an idiot if I tried. I just want to know why things have…_changed_ between us."

"I don't know what you mean."

Clint's patience was swiftly running thin. Trying to force the Mistress of Deception into spilling out the truth behind a topic that he knew would be uncomfortable for her was worse than pulling teeth. "You know damn well what I mean, Romanoff! Ever since you've been reassigned –"

"I _wasn't_ reassigned."

"I…you…what?"

"I _asked _to be paired up with Steve."

Barton's surprise was painfully obvious. His squared shoulders slumped, and his decisive eyes shifted around.

"Why?" he whispered to her as if afraid he would not be able to cope with the honesty of her answer, but mostly feeling shocked at learning that for the past six months he had believed they had been separated without their say, only to find out he was absolutely wrong. "Why would you…Did I? Nat…"

"I just needed a change. And, right now I need a shower. So, get out."

Hawkeye's heart was pounding loudly in his head. He had walked in here, prepared to tell her how he felt, consequences be damned, and with one simple truth, his strong resolve had been crumbled to the ground.

"Natasha," he uttered, staring down at her misleading petite form, and not yet understanding what he had done wrong. Their last mission together had been when they arrested Killian and Hammer, and she had not seemed uncomfortable or annoyed by him at the time. It was not until a few days after that battle that he received the notice that he was back to being on his own.

"I don't know what I did to you, but whatever it was, I'm sorry. Have fun with your new partner, Nat." he said to her, somewhere between a tone of resignation and one of reproach. He stared into her eyes once more before opening the door behind him and walking away without as much as a glance back.

If Natasha would not tell him what he had done to push her away, maybe other people involved in the reassignment would be kind enough to enlighten the confused man.

xxxXXXxxx

"A party? Really? Sshhh! Don't say it out loud! They're gonna hear and it won't be a surprise." Tony said to his wife, hands on his hips and staring at the pile of baby magazines on top of their coffee table. Close to their parents, Robert and Gwyneth played with Jarvis as the canine lay on the floor with them.

"It will be their first birthday, Tony. It's very important."

"Says who?"

"The, uhm…magazines I…just read…?" she responded, sheepishly scratching the back of her head with the pen she held in her hands.

"OK, fine, but, are we gonna invite the Super Friends? I'm still pissed they showed up at our wedding without invitation," Tony mentioned, even though he knew that Pepper had invited the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers, but that he had hidden the invitations so that they never got them in the mail.

"Tony! They are part of our lives; of course I want them there," Pepper responded, picking up a magazine, ruffling through its pages until she found the one she was looking for. She bit the tip of the pen as she read the recommendations for the first birthday party for children and circled some of the paragraphs using the pen.

Tony rolled his eyes, dropping his arms to his sides and joining his kids on the floor. He scratched the back of Jarvis' head, earning him a complacent whine, and a happy wag of the dog's tail. He then turned his attention to Gwyneth, picking her up in his arms and sitting her on his leg, grabbing her small hand with his own.

"Gigi, what do _you_ think? Should mommy invite a group of freaks to your surprise birthday party?"

Pepper did not bother to glare at him, but snickered at his silly attitude. When Gigi's response was to giggle, he placed her back down on the floor and picked up Robert instead.

"OK, your sister just betrayed me. What about you, Robbie? Guys stick together, right?"

Robbie's response was to sneeze all over Tony's face, earning him an annoyed face from his father.

"Bless you." Tony mumbled, taking out his handkerchief from his back pocket and cleaning up Robbie's face and his. He placed the baby back on the floor to join his sister, and the two babies immediately returned to their doggie-petting duty.

Tony eyed his children carefully, noticing how well his and Pepper's genes had merged to create the new loves of his life. Gwyneth was a little strawberry-blond with sparkly brown eyes and pale skin, and Robert was a handsome brunette with radiant blue eyes, much like his mother's.

Stark's eyes then shifted to his wife, admiring the way she bit her thumbnail as she read the magazine in her hands. Her hair was down, and not a drop of makeup covered her face, which allowed the seas of freckles to stand out even more. She was wearing a long, plaid, collared shirt that used to belong to him, and shorts that gave a remarkable view of her mile-long legs. Her current state did not do justice to the strength within her, not only physical but emotional as well.

Tony exhaled in satisfaction, feeling more at home than ever, replaying in his head what Pepper had told him days ago. _Why are you even upset at Killian, or what he did? They are just words; desperate attempts at ruining the things he can't have._

He knew she was correct. Killian would live forever a lonely man, trapped in a cage until he was no longer needed and would be disposed of. He, on the other hand, would live a long life with his wife, kids, dog, butler, and friends –and, if that wasn't enough, saving the world from time to time.

He felt silly for doubting that his family needed him. He was not as strong as Cap, and he could not control lightning like Thor. He did not have years of training like Natasha or Clint, or was immune to gamma rays and death altogether like Bruce. He only had his suit and his brain, but the fact that he had someone waiting for him at home, cheering for him when fought, was incentive enough for him to feel as if he was the strongest one of all.

He bent down and kissed the crowns of the babies' heads, scratched Jarvis' ears and then stood up and kissed Pepper on the lips. Pepper stared up at him, smiling when she saw the familiar glint of overconfidence in his eyes she was used to seeing on him. He winked at her to confirm her suspicions, and without saying another word he made his way down to his lab.

He keyed in his code and the doors unlocked, the machines and computers coming to life as he approached them. He input his passcode to access his server files, pulling up the schematics he was looking for. His emotions and excitement must have radiated brightly enough for Jarvis to pick them up in his scanner when he walked in, because the AI spoke to him a simple phrase Tony could have sworn meant much more than what it sounded like.

"Welcome back, sir."

Tony smiled, delighted that his online friend could read him like an open book. Dum-E and Butterfingers flanked him on either side, as if looking over his shoulder to view the screens, waiting anxiously for the orders of their creator. Tony did not disappoint them, feeling as ready to get back in the game as they seemed to be.

"Jarvis," he began, the smile never leaving his face, "begin rendering of the Mark 43."

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, my Faithful Readers! I apologize in advance if the strong language offended you, but the image of Tony cursing like a sailor had me cracking up. I also apologize if I misused/misspelled the cursing in other languages. Sadly, I don't speak Italian or French, but I hope the point got across either way. By the way, I've got three fics going on right now, so I've decided to update them all, one chapter at a time. I updated 30 Days (Iron Man) yesterday, and now Man in a Can, so the next update will be for Behind the Scenes (Ranma ½). I will try to stick to this schedule as much as I can.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hello, my Faithful Readers! Thank you for all of your feedback and support! Here is another installment of _Man in a Can_. I've got some big plans for this story, so please don't let the calm before the storm moments fool you. If you need something to hold you while updates are made, please check out my other current IM story: **30 Days**.

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**

General Rhodes walked behind his _tour guide_, keeping his distance and watching her every move, making sure he did not do anything to set her off. He had never worked with the young woman in the past other than when interacting with her when she posed as Stark's PA, but the stories he had heard and the video he had reviewed from the New York battle had given him a pretty good idea of what she was capable of doing when provoked.

Then again, it did not take a genius to determine she was not to be messed with if she had been able to singlehandedly flip over Happy with very little effort while wearing a simple, albeit sexy, business suit. When she finally ceased walking and stopped in front of a door, he stopped along with her, his shoulders tensing when she turned around to face him.

"General Rhodes, this will be your room," she began as she handed him a badge/cardkey after using it to open the door. "It's pretty private around here, and other than a few handpicked members, no one else has access to this level."

Rhodey grabbed the badge and followed her inside. The dark and lonely hall that had led them to the floor was misleading of the contents of the room. James's new room was no penthouse in Stark Tower, but it was far more luxurious than Rhode's old apartment back at base camp. He tried to keep a neutral face to not look too easily impressed in front of the Black Widow, but when he saw the size of the bathroom –and the fact that a television hung from a corner of the facilities, his eyes widened against his will.

"That's OK, General, you can gawk. I did too when I first moved in. Then again, I was living on the streets before Hawkeye dragged me here."

The unplanned mention of her former partner's name reminded her of their argument a few days ago. His last words were still ringing in her ears, making her curse at herself for allowing such childish emotions to take over her.

_I don't know what I did to you, but whatever it was, I'm sorry. Have fun with your new partner, Nat._

"Sorry! It's just…very nice here," Rhodey said, pulling Natasha out of her painful thoughts.

"It definitely is, but it gets boring sometimes. I'm two doors down, Cap is in the room after mine, Barton is across the hall from Cap's room, and Coulson is next to Barton's room."

"Damn! I have a feeling I'm gonna get my ass kicked a lot 'round here when any of you are bored."

Natasha snickered at the man's honesty. It was no surprise to her that their reputation was well-known to the world now after their fight against an alien invasion, but she was also aware that the man in front of her had also taken on Tony Stark and an army of Extremis soldiers by himself. He may not look the part, but his background in the military as well as his solid friendship with Iron Man made him worthy of joining their ranks.

"We can always work on that," she finally responded, giving him a smile. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it. Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D., General Rhodes."

"Thank you. And, you can call me Rhodey, or James."

"James. You can call me Natasha," she offered, nodding at her new recruit before heading to the door. "Training begins at 0600 hours. Don't be late or I will drag your ass from bed."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Rhodey answered as she finally left his room. James stared at his new home, somewhat relieved that he had the rest of the day to assimilate that he was now a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.

xxxXXXxxx

She wore a black pair of cotton yoga pants, accompanied by a loose-fit t-shirt and tennis shoes. Her hair was held up in a tight bun although some rogue strands of hair still framed her pale face. She was breathing hard, sweat sliding down from her forehead, feeling the internal heat that had overtaken her slowly dying down. Her vision focused after a few blinks, and the control over her actions that she had suddenly lost was finally regained.

"Are you alright?" she worriedly asked a groaning Steve, who was struggling to stand up from his painful-looking position on the floor, where she had placed him seconds ago. Her survival instincts were heightened by the Extremis, S.H.I.E.L.D. had noted, and after she felt that Captain America had gone just a bit too far in his mock attack on her, such instincts had kicked in and she had easily flipped Steve over her head.

"Yes, Mrs. Stark. I think I'll be alright…I'll…live."

The woman frowned as she helped Steve regain his footing, not at all pleased with her actions or by hurting the man that had been assigned with helping her train. She was by no means an athlete, but she had taken a self-defense course back in college to satisfy the P.E. credit requirement she needed for her degree plan. She had also, at some point early in her new career at SI, taken Tae Bo and kickboxing courses as a means to release the stress that came from being Tony's PA, but she had never seen the need to become a master of any martial arts discipline.

However, with her newly acquired abilities and her recent induction into the Avengers, she had been tasked by Fury to learning at least the basic concepts of combat before she was sent on any missions. Tony had offered to help her train, but the moment he realized training her would involve _hurting_ her, he had reluctantly backed down his offering.

Needless to say, there were plenty of other people who could teach her how to use her powers to defend herself –Killian included, but since S.H.I.E.L.D. did not have an exact idea of what she could do, they had decided to let Steve be the guinea pig to review her abilities. It was Fury's intention to use this time to gather as much data from her actions before they came together to generate a training plan for her.

"It's Pepper, Steve, not Mrs. Stark. Just call me Pepper, alright?"

"Tony said…"

"Forget what Tony said. If you try to keep up with everything he says, you'll go insane."

"_I heard that,"_ chimed in the familiar voice through the speakers.

Steve chuckled at the truth behind her words, further fostering in him the incredulity of such a kind woman ever laying eyes on Tony Stark. Then again, one had to harvest the patience of a saint in order to keep up with the man, and Pepper seemed to fit the role. Steve was under the belief that if a woman like Pepper ever laid eyes on someone like himself, he would not do many things Tony did that pissed her off.

Then again, the Captain himself was no better off in his own chase for Natasha, leaving him to think that he probably was not one to judge or give advice regarding relationships.

"You throw pretty hard, Pepper," Steve confessed to her as he placed his hand on the left side of his ribcage. He was certain that at least one was cracked but that it would certainly heal on its own by the end of the day.

Pepper bit her bottom lip, her eyes shifting from side to side. Steve stared at her unusual response until his eyes widened at the realization of why she was displaying a coy gesture.

"You didn't flip me with everything, did you?"

Pepper's only response was to shake her head with an apologetic look.

"This is not going to work as well if you don't give it your all, Pepper," he said, even though he knew the moment she threw him again he would regret encouraging her. "We need to know how strong you are so that we can channel that energy into keeping you safe in the field."

"I know, it's just…I don't like being so aggressive."

"I can take it," he began, straightening up and arching his back to pop it. "…I think."

"_I didn't think I'd live to see the day my beautiful wife kicked your ass, Cap."_ Tony's teasing voice resounded in the PA system, once more. After exploring the option of having Tony present in the same room while Pepper trained and it resulting in Tony's total berserkness surfacing, he had been forced to remain in the command room above the simulation station. It did keep him from distracting Pepper, but it also meant he would abuse the power of using the public announcement feature of the room.

"Can someone _please_ take the microphone away from Tony?" Pepper begged as she stared in the direction of the command room above them.

"_There's no one here that will dare, Pep."_

"Just ignore him, Pepper." Steve whispered to her as he walked out of the ring and toward his belongings on the floor. He picked up his shield and returned to the battle station, swapping his defense tool from one hand to the other.

"Tony's dad made this for me, Pepper. It won't break, so feel free to hit as hard as you can."

"Are you sure?" Pepper asked him with a hint of disbelief in her tone of voice. As much effort as Howard Stark had put into making Cap's shield, she doubted the late inventor had encountered a super-powered human furnace with whom he could have tested the shield's resilience.

"_He's right, Honey. Anything a Stark makes is durable, elegant and priceless. I mean, come on, have you seen our kids?"_

Steve rolled his eyes at Stark's comment, but Pepper could not hold back a small chuckle. Only Tony would show off his family's skills and sound adorable while doing it.

"OK, but only if you're sure."

"I am."

With a nod of approval, the training between Pepper and Captain America continued.

xxxXXXxxx

James lay on the floor of the training room, breathing furiously, feeling as if the much needed oxygen would refuse to invade his lungs. From all the years in training at the academy, he could not remember one day he had been left to feel as if the Hulk had river-danced all over his ass.

Then again, being crushed to death by the Hulk might have been more merciful that training with the Black Widow.

"James, are you kidding me? We're just getting started!"

"No…must…rest…or…will…die…"

"Fine. I'll cut you some slack, but only because you're still recovering from Pepper's beating."

It took all of Rhodey's effort to waving his right hand at Natasha to thank her. In turn, Romanoff walked over to the water dispenser and filled two plastic cups with the wonderful liquid. She walked back to Rhodey and offered him one, which he took with trembling hands.

"Are you always…this…intense? Or…am I getting…special treatment?" Rhodes asked, feeling better now that his lungs were holding onto their air with increased ease. This was the third day that Natasha and he had trained, and he swore the practices were becoming harder rather than easier.

"You'll get used to it, and it won't last long. I'm evaluating your physical condition so that we can match missions with your current abilities while we help you build some more."

"Ah, I see."

They both finished drinking the water before Natasha helped James stand up and walked him to a nearby chair. "So, are you keeping the Iron Patriot outfit?"

Rhodey shrugged. He had not thought about being anyone else, but now that he did not serve the President, perhaps the rip-off version of Captain's outfit was no longer appropriate.

"Do you think I should go back to being War Machine?"

Natasha tilted her head to the side, not sure whether to blatantly agree with James or not. She had thought that the Iron Patriot was too colorful for her taste, but she knew she was not one to judge if she considered the origins of the other members of the team. "I think it might just suit you better."

"The name does sound cooler than Iron Patriot," he conceded.

"One might even say, I don't know…that WARMACHINEROX?"

"Dammit, Tony!"

A loud laugh coming from Natasha was rare, especially when she was around new people, but she felt comfortable around the newcomer. She was not certain if it was because the man was easy-going, or because she did not feel she had to tiptoe around him. At some point, she had been able to be this comfortable around Clint, but the moment she realized she had fallen in love with him, her comfort zone had changed.

She had then tried to find some balance and restore order in her life by asking to be paired up with Steve, but when she realized Steve had feelings for her, her solution had become a second nightmare. She was not interested in Steve in that way, but his lack of a confession made it difficult to turn him down. On the other hand, she was definitely interested in Clint, but these same feelings made it difficult for her to confess anything to him. Either way she saw it, she was royally screwed.

_Not like I have any choice in the matter. I work with the guy. It won't work out for us._

Then again, it had for Pepper and Tony.

Unbeknownst to them, their lively conversation was being closely watched by none other than Steve.

xxxXXXxxx

"So, a birthday party, huh?" Bruce confirmed with his friend, giving him a mischievous smile that told Tony everything he needed regarding Bruce's intentions of attending the event. The two geniuses continued their conversation as they worked inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. lab, preparing for Pepper's first training meeting with Killian, today.

"Yup, Pepper's really excited about it. And, if the kids had any idea what the fuss is about, I guess they'd be excited, too."

"But, _you're_ not?"

"Nah, I am. It's just…weird."

"Ah, yes. Throwing parties to celebrate one's birth is truly unconventional," the doctor said with his unique sarcastic tone.

"Ha-ha-ha. What I mean is that a year ago I was chopping down my own wood from a forest to heat up my cabin, and today I'm organizing a party that doesn't involve dancers, booze or exploding watermelons."

Bruce stopped his typing to stare at Tony, almost asking him to describe the types of parties he considered normal. After determining that it was better not to ask, he shrugged and continued working on his assigned task. "I still don't see your point."

"It's not important," Tony began. "In fact, it's stupid. I'm still trying to get with the program on how fast things are moving now," he said, taking his cup of coffee to his lips.

"So, you're thinking that next time you open your eyes, you'll be escorting Gigi down the aisle?"

Tony's screen became splattered with coffee that came from Tony's mouth. He coughed and punched his chest with his fist while Bruce watched him with amusement.

"Why does everyone think it's OK to surprise the shit out of me when I'm having a drink?"

"What?"

"Never mind. Anyway, Gigi's not marrying anyone."

"Sure, because Iron Man's repulsor is better than a shotgun?"

"No, because my Gigi is too good for anybody."

"Right," Bruce mock-agreed. "I think you're worrying too much about the future."

"You sound just like Pepper."

"Well, you are. Why don't you worry about enjoying what you have now. Worrying about what may or may not happen later will just take away from the present."

"Talking from experience?"

Bruce's only response to Tony's question was to shrug. Of course he was talking from experience! Otherwise, he would be hanging out with Betty rather than Tony right now.

"I'm almost ready here," he added, hoping to change the topic. "Are you sure that we don't have to sedate you during this?" Bruce asked, referencing to the torment that had been keeping him in the room when Killian and Pepper had met for the first time.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh, my God! The _one _time I lose my cool."

Bruce raised his eyebrows at Tony, giving the hyperactive superhero a knowing smirk.

"Psh, you're one to talk, you PMS-ing freight train," Tony said.

Bruce chuckled at Tony's annoyed stance before said man stood up, stating he was ready to watch his wife dislocate Killian's jaw once more.

xxxXXXxxx

The ritual to join Killian in his cell was the same as before. This time, however, Pepper took a chair with her, anticipating a long conversation. She placed the chair on the floor, quickly making use of it and crossing her arms and legs as she waited for Aldrich to speak.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd change your mind, darling."

"I was wondering myself if your jaw had enough time to heal. Should I kick it from the other side to make it even?"

"My dear Pepper, you're spending too much time with Stark. It seems his lack of tactfulness is rubbing off on you."

"_That_, and some other things. Now, what do you want me to do?"

"Did you already forget what we talked about being patient?"

"Did you already forget what it feels like to have your face rearranged?"

Killian raised his hands to his sides, conceding to her that she was there on business and nothing more. "Very well. Let's begin with an explanation of how the viruses work."

Pepper's nod was the only response he got.

"Alright. The first version of the virus –the one that your chauffeur had the privilege of encountering, was basically a prototype. Maya's ideas had a few…flaws, but after working with other associates on the side, I was able to create the second version of the virus; the one that you carry now. Maya never understood why I had no interest in keeping Tony alive; she thought we needed him, but I was way ahead of her, I always was."

"Who else did you work with?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, yet. But, I can tell you that he is _not_ to be messed with. The virus you carry is perfect thanks to him, and the moment you have full control of it, you will never want to rid of it."

"I _can't_ get rid of it. We've already tried."

Killian smiled widely. "Oh, but there is a way, Pepper! There's a way to cure everyone who has it, regardless of which version of the virus it is or what stage it is at."

Inside the monitoring station, Bruce and Tony eyed each other, wondering if Killian was trying to pull their chain. When they themselves and S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists had worked on breaking apart the virus to cure Pepper's family, it had been determined that they could only be cured because the virus was new to their bodies, and was yet to fully mingle with their DNA strands. Pepper, on the other hand, had been living with the Extremis 2.0 for over a year, making it impossible to separate the infected cells from the clean cells.

_"Keep him talking, Pep,"_ Tony whispered to his wife's earpiece from the command room.

"I think you're full of it, Killian. Knowing you, curing people probably means killing them. I'm not killing anyone just because you said so."

Aldrich shook his head rapidly, pulling the chair he was sitting in closer to Pepper. "No, no, dear. There is no killing involved unless, well…if the host doesn't want a cure, then you may have to resort to doing just that. You can't have these fuses walking around as if they were not dangerous, right?"

"Tell me how to cure them."

"Not yet; you're not ready to do so. First, you'll need to learn how to find them, regardless of where they are. When they are not actively relying on the abilities of the virus, you won't be able to detect them –at least not at first. Eventually, you'll learn to sniff them out miles away, in their peaceful sleep. You'll be able to determine which kind of virus they have, and how advanced it is. Then, Pepper, it will be up to you to decide if you are going to cure them, conquer them…or kill them."

Outside, Pepper smirked to him and then scoffed. Inside, Pepper was fuming. How dared he even imply that she would take someone else's life? That she was no better than him? She knew that in her new line of work, she could very easily be placed in a situation where she would have to defend her life, but she had not considered the idea of killing anyone just yet. She had no idea how Tony did so with such ease, and she had not been able to bring it up with him because she knew it would pain him to know Pepper would even consider having to resort to such means.

"So, you're saying that I can control them? You?"

"I'm not as vulnerable, Pepper, but with the right push and motivation, yes, you could."

"Why are you telling me all of this? Why do you want me to learn how to stop you?"

Killian shrugged, not at all surprised by her question. "I've got nothing to lose, Potts. Either I cooperate or your guys kill me. I'm smart enough to know when I don't have the upper hand."

"True, but I wonder, what's stopping you from calling your army here to free you? You could certainly do that, correct? Or is your power not as great as you paint it to be?"

"I love it when you talk dirty to me."

Pepper narrowed her eyes, feeling his time of usefulness for the day was almost out. He had behaved rather cooperatively until now, but she sensed he was wrapping up the conversation soon. Even though she was not comfortable casually chatting with the man, there was one more question she wanted to ask him since she found out he was alive. "Why did you pair up with Hammer?"

"Easy money," he said without missing a beat. "The poor bastard wanted revenge on you so much; he did not see I was taking all of his money, or whatever he had left."

"Revenge on me?"

"You're the one that got him arrested; the reason he went bankrupt and lost his company. He had some pretty graphic things he wanted to do to you before he killed you. I couldn't allow it, of course. You're just too valuable to me if you're alive."

"Why?"

He leaned closer to her, and before she could react, he pushed a strand of hair behind the ear that held the communication device, using a small amount of heat to deem the device unusable. "All in good time, my dear. _All_ in good time."

* * *

**A/N:** fantasia-49, thank you so much for proofreading my use of French in the last chapter :D Maybe you can help me with more of it for use in this fic, if you don't mind. Anyone able to proofread the Italian? Well, there you have it for now. Not a whole lot happening yet, but I'm giving them a break for now. So, I'm curious about your opinion on this: who should Black Widow end up with: Cap or Hawkeye? Oh, decisions, decisions! See you soon!


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The environment in the room was one of tension, each opponent holding their ground in their respective corner. The red and gold suit was no match for the orange-glow in front of him, but he had no option but to take her on. It was now or never, life or death, and they both knew that.

_Or_, at least this was the idea Tony was trying to convince Pepper to believe.

For the past two weeks, she had been training every other day under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s and Killian's guidance, and the progress she had achieved so far was evident in the fluidity of her moves.

Killian's training focused on how to control the powers of the Extremis and learning to track other Extremis soldiers. Captain America was in charge of combat-readiness. Natasha and Clinton were responsible for teaching her specialized training techniques that involved weapon disarmament, basic self-defense techniques, as well as some of the secrets of successful spies and assassins. Maria Hill has been tasked with introducing her to mission-related jargon and S.H.I.E.L.D. protocols. And, finally, temperament-control lessons were the responsibility of none other than Bruce Banner. Rhodey was undergoing induction training of his own, so they were yet to cross paths during their preparations.

The goal of Pepper's intense training was to ensure all possible options of battle preparation were covered before jumping into her first mission for the sake of her protection, and the protection of the team. As Tony had seen her improve her fighting skills, he had become more comfortable with the idea of battling against criminals, shoulder-to-shoulder with her, and was now even looking forward to kicking butt together.

Unfortunately for Pepper, the wheels in Tony's head had begun turning when he realized what his wife was capable of accomplishing under proper supervision and encouragement, and he wanted to be part of the experience. After days of grumbling and pleading with her, he had finally convinced her to at least attempt one training session together for the _sake of science_. Today was their first attempt, which made the challenging side of Tony extremely happy, but the reluctance of Pepper in harming her husband was evident in her eyes.

"Tony, are you sure you want me to do this? I don't feel comfortable at all," Pepper stated as she stared at her glowing hands, attempting to call upon a fire-filled punch that Killian had showed her could be done.

Tony groaned as childishly as one of his kids, only missing the physical temper tantrum that would have accompanied it were they old enough to act on it. "Peppeerrr!" he whined. "How am I supposed to improve the Mark XLIII if you won't help me?"

"Why can't you just do what you did before to improve your suits?"

"This IS what I did before!" he responded, wailing his arms in the air. "I'd wait until something went wrong and _then_ fixed it! I'm being somewhat proactive this time; doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Well, I…why can't you just use the Mark XLII as a guide?"

"Because I blew up all of my suits! Besides, the Mark XLII was only a prototype."

"So, the Mark XLIII is a prototype _of _a prototype. That's clever, Tony."

"YES! Exactly!" he said, honestly glad that she finally understood his predicament. "And, this is why I need you to hit me. If you want me to go with you on missions, I need to adapt the suit for the possibility that an army of human volcanos attacks my ass."

"But, Tony…I—" she began, remembering how she had almost killed Tony while under Killian's control. Tony had been thus begun working on designing improvements for the Mark XLIII, but without practice, he would not be able to determine if his adjustments would give him the upper hand he needed to remain on par with the Extremis soldiers.

"Pepper," he began his moaning again, dramatically placing his open hand on his chest, and taking in shallow breaths. "Why won't you help your husband get ready for a battle? Do you not love me at all, woman? Do you not fear for my safety?"

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him, placing her hands on her hips, and not buying his rehearsed act, one bit. "Did you forget you already used that with me today during breakfast when you wanted the last waffle?"

Tony was taken aback. "I did? Dammit! Can't I use it twice?"

"Not in one day."

"I'm not sure I like these rules," he said, making a mental note to revise the unwritten guidelines of the home. "But, seriously, Pepper, don't you rather me finding out the flaws of the suit here where I can do something about them, than in the middle of a battle?"

It was now Pepper's turn to groan. She hated it when Tony used logic against her. He rarely did, but when the situation called for it, he always ended up defeating her argument, no matter how sound she thought her own argument against him was.

"Fine! But don't ask me to be rough on you or something like that!"

"But, Pepper, I_ like_ it when you're rough with me," he said, his face hiding nothing of his actual thoughts.

Pepper's response to his shameless innuendo was to set his manipulative ass on fire.

xxxXXXxxx

The underground palace of unknown location, and current home of The Mandarin, was filled with the faithful followers of the commands by which the Ten Rings group lived. As the time for the association to make its move became closer, the watchful eyes' tasks had become more intricate and vital than before. Their leader was a master strategist, they knew, and he took very seriously his job of making sure all the pieces were set in place before striking.

Thus, he now preceded a meeting with the selected few supporters that had been assigned the honor of keeping a close look out on the individuals that were key figures to The Mandarin's plans.

"How is our Source developing?" the leader asked.

"Beautifully; she's steadily increasing her powers. We believe she should achieve Level 1 status in the next few days, my Lord." One of the spies responded.

"And, her so-called protector?" The Mandarin inquired, both admiring and despising said man at the same time. The Mandarin was no fool, and he knew what Tony Stark's devious mind was capable of –he and the billionaire were extremely alike, and The Mandarin would have preferred Tony to be his primary target, to rid the world of the man that could potentially stop his plans. However, the superhero's physical and genetic limitations kept him from carrying the burden of becoming the Source.

"It appears he has returned to perfecting his armor, but we already know what a waste of time that will be." A second spy informed the leader.

"Indeed," The Mandarin began. "What about our betrayer? What is his status?"

"He's still under submission by the organization. Other than his attempt to call upon some of his soldiers, he has tried to remain under the radar."

"And so I would expect from a thieving rat as he." The Mandarin retorted, not at all pleased with the fact that Killian was still alive. The Mandarin not only had to abort an assassination attempt, but at this time he had no other option than to let the man continue living until he served his purpose.

"We've also learned, my Lord, that the organization has added a new member to their ranks; the protector's friend."

"The chauffeur?" The leader asked with incredulity, doubting the overweight man could be a threat to anyone other than himself.

"No, the General," the spy clarified.

"I see." The Mandarin said before he remained quiet for an instant, staring at his spies with an engrossed eye.

"Where is your companion?" he finally asked when he noticed one of his supporters was missing from the meeting. The other spies stared at each other, afraid of what their leader's response could be to their retort.

"Unable to attend, sir. But we received news that the first task has already been completed. In fact, the second step of the task is the reason for the absence."

The Mandarin smirked, pleased with the job of his followers. The better the news he received, the closer he was to unleashing the power of the rings. He had waited for the moment for years, and he could almost taste the sweet victory his patience would provide.

_Patience_; the main skill he needed to hold on to in order to get anywhere at all.

Patience, especially, when addressing his just-arrived guest from afar –one whose mind was as cunning as his own; someone who was as equally dangerous as The Mandarin. And, most importantly, someone who had extensive experience handling S.H.I.E.L.D. and its pack of flying monkeys.

xxxXXXxxx

His face was covered by a small bag of ice, hoping the swelling of his right eye would diminish by tomorrow. He was looking forward to meeting with the party planner to discuss the details of the birthday celebration for Robert and Gwyneth, but he knew that if he did not seem the least bit recovered by the morrow, Pepper would not let him out of bed. Even if it had been his idea for them to train together, he knew Pepper still felt guilty for fighting him, and he felt slightly guilty for forcing her to do so.

Tony was no stranger to the consequences of a battle, and he was used to receiving a beating in the name of progress. He did not mind the down time that accompanied the aftermath of a good fight; however, his recovery would have not been as disgraceful as it already was had Rhodey not showed up to visit them today. From all the days the new Avenger could have visited them, he had chosen this very day to make his appearance at the Malibu mansion.

Since his arrival, the smirk on the General's face had not disappeared. Said gesture was now accompanied by the occasional light chuckle, which in turn had grown to a loud laugh capable of waking up the dead. Rhodey was not laughing at the fact that karma had been a cruel bitch and had placed Tony in a situation the General had experienced under the hand of the billionaire. He was not laughing at his friend's misery; he was not even laughing at the apparent defeat Tony experienced against Pepper, not at all. The source of amusement had an almost completely different origin altogether.

"I've heard of domestic abuse, man, but this is _priceless_," James said as he wiped a few tears of laughter from his eyes. Tony narrowed his good eye at him for the tenth time since Rhodey had set foot in the home.

"You know," Tony began, "at this point, I _wish_ Pepper HAD beaten the shit out of me."

"Why? So you didn't have to hear it from me?"

"No. So I didn't have to hear it from ANYONE!"

"You mean the word spread?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was monitoring JARVIS when it happened."

"So…"

"So…EVERYONE at base knows…"

"Are you for real? Oh, my GOD! Tony, you're screwed for the next few months, to say the least," Rhodey responded with as much surprise as he could muster, even though he was already aware the organization had learned of Tony's misfortune the moment it had occurred.

"No shit."

As if on cue, the AI's voice chimed in, announcing to Tony that he had an incoming fax, marked as urgent.

"Send it to the main line, J," Tony commanded while making sure to use the AI's nickname due to the presence of the canine family member by Tony's feet.

"I'll get it," James said, standing up and walking to the fax machine. After a few beeps and the finishing printing sounds, Rhodey pulled the paper from the feeder, stared at it for a second, and held back another laugh. "It's from S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Fuck," was Tony's only response as he watched his friend walking back the couch. Tony snatched the paper from Rhodey's hand and stared at it, his face immediately contorting to one of anger.

The piece of paper was a crude drawing of the unfortunate events of earlier. It showed a strawberry-blonde woman surrounded by a flame, as if she were a human torch. A few feet from her on the drawing was a downed Tony Stark, bleeding from the right side of the forehead. Then, next to Tony's cartoon-form, was a well-drawn worktable, sporting a flapping cape and a smiling face.

"Son of a—" Tony mumbled the rest of his colorful expletive, crumbling the paper with one hand before Rhodey snatched it back.

"Hey! That's art! Give it here!" James said as he flattened the piece of paper on the coffee table. "It says here you can watch the animated version of this on tonyvstable . com."

"WHAT?" Tony yelled, snatching the paper back once more. "J, show me!"

The television screen of the living room immediately lit up, bringing up said URL. The website was obviously created in a rush, and hosted only one video that looped indefinitely once the site was loaded. The list of comments, however, nearly reached a thousand, all mocking the scene of Tony Stark tripping over his damned drill and hitting one of the tables in his lab, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

"You've GOT to be kidding me! J, hack that site and bring it down!"

"As you wish."

"Hack?" Rhodey began. "I though you said this wasn't the 80's…"

"Shut. Up."

Rhodey snickered, raising his hands to the sides as a sign of defeat. "Fine, fine. But, can't you just admit that it IS a little funny that after all the bullshit you've survived, an unmoving table defeats you?"

"It didn't DEFEAT me, OK? It was just round one!"

"Sure, whatever. Movie?"

Tony sighed, readjusting the bag of ice and asking JARVIS to bring up the available selection. He was not looking forward to taking the twins to S.H.I.E.L.D. for testing tomorrow, especially when Rhodey silently reached inside his pocket only to bring out an eye patch that Nick Fury had sent over to Tony via the General.

xxxXXXxxx

The two men stared at the other, going over in their heads the information they had just exchanged. While both wanted to think that the analysis of their observations was outlandish, there was no denying the illogical side of them was being stronger than the usual rationality they tended to use. Then again, when it came to love and relationships, the two were as clueless as the next guy.

"He's only been here for a few weeks, Steve. Are you sure you saw what you saw?"

"How many times are you gonna ask me the same question? I saw them! They were being _too _friendly with each other, if you ask me."

Hawkeye leaned back the chair with only two of its legs on the floor. He crossed his arms and sighed deeply, thinking of other explanations for Steve's theory regarding a possible close relationship developing between Natasha and General Rhodes.

"It's just that it doesn't sound like her, Cap. Maybe in the old days it was uncommon for a man and a woman to act overly friendly, but today…it's…well…_normal_."

"Yeah? Well, if that's the case, then how come she's behaving that way around James but not you, or me?"

Clint's shoulders slumped, losing his balance at listening to the argument and almost falling on his back. "I don't know! But, Nat hates relationships and all the bullshit that comes with them. Besides, she'd never date someone she works with."

"True, but up to today, neither you nor I had ever seen her act so comfortable around another human being."

Barton leaned over the table separating the two men, covering his face with his hands. He and the Captain had been sulking in Barton's room for almost two hours after they had both walked by Natasha's room and had heard the redhead and James talking to the each other in almost hushed voices. Unfortunately, the two males standing outside the door had plenty of experience in listening in to conversations that were not meant to be listened to, and while they had only heard a few words before they had to run away when they heard Rhodey approaching them, it had been sufficient to set them on high alert.

"Besides," Steve continued. "What more proof do you want? She asked him how Tony would take it, and then he told her to leave it up to him! And, where is James now?"

"At Tony's place."

"RIGHT!" Steve retorted while flailing his arms in the air to emphasize his frustration. "I don't know about you, but I'm telling her how I feel."

"HEY!" Clint began, standing up from his chair and pointing a finger at Steve. "We agreed that if one says anything, the other has to be there."

"What's your point?"

"What do you mean: 'what's my point?'?" Barton asked, already beginning to sweat bullets. Since his small argument with Natasha, he had been avoiding her at all costs, taking her indifference as a subtle sign of rejection. What if Natasha liked Steve, or James? How was he supposed to deal with this type of knowledge? "I thought you said you didn't want to say anything to her."

"I didn't, but if she likes James that way, I rather know now and move on."

"Move ON?"

"Yes, move on. That's what people do when they are not corresponded."

_Moving on_, Clint thought. Moving on was not in his plans with her, and he doubted it was going to be as easy as Steve made it sound. He had loved Natasha for a long time, and after Loki had messed with his mind and opened doors that should have remained closed, he was having a difficult time controlling his feelings for the ginger spy.

"Well, when do we tell her?" Barton asked.

"Uhm, I don't know. Now?"

"NOW? As in NOW? This very moment?"

"Barton, you don't have to tell her if you're too chicken about it," the Man out of Time retorted with a challenging smile.

"My ass you tell her anything without me around. Get up, let's go!" he ordered, standing up from his chair and heading to the door. Steve cleared his throat, took a deep calming breath and followed Barton. The two men exited the room and headed to Natasha's, standing outside her door and staring at it as if it were to suddenly grow a mouth and eat them alive.

"What are you waiting for? Knock." Steve ordered the wide-eyed assassin.

"Me? Why don't you knock?"

"Because…I…I outrank you. It's an order, soldier."

Clint's head snapped to the right to stare at the flustered Steve. "I'm not a soldier. So, technically, you can't outrank me."

Steve narrowed his eyes at Clint, who smiled back with a smug look at the Captain. Regardless of their anxiety, neither of them reached for the door for a minute until Steve thought of a way to tilt the scale to his side.

"Whoever doesn't knock has to tell her first," Steve said in a hurry before rushing his hand and hitting the door full force. The effort caused the door to snap off its hinges and drop on the floor inside Natasha's room. Natasha's eyes fell on the door before raising them to stare at the stunned pair by the entrance.

"In a hurry?" she asked them both, standing from her bed where she had been reading and headed to her phone, not wasting time to dial the maintenance department.

"Yes, this is Agent Romanoff. I need a new door. Yes, yes, mine has been…broken. Yes. Half an hour? Thank you," she said, returning the phone to its station and then turning to face the two men that were yet to make a move.

"So…what's up?"

The two men cleared their throats, scratching the backs of their necks and pulling on their suddenly constricting clothes. Natasha rolled her eyes at them, walking to the entrance and standing on top of the fallen door. "Are you guys just gonna stand there or what?"

"Natasha…agent…uhm…Nat—" Steve began before being interrupted by Clint.

"Don't call her that. Only I call her Nat."

Romanoff was taken aback by Clint's outburst, alternating her eyes between he and Steve. "What's going on? Is there trouble?"

"Trouble?" Steve asked, licking his lips that had gone dry. "No, there's no trouble. In fact, there's the opposite of trouble, you know?"

"No, I don't," she responded.

"Nat, look," Clint began. "There's something we have to tell you."

"OK. What is it?"

"We, uhm, I…uh…look, this is the thing…"

"Yes," Steve interjected. "The thing is…well, the thing is…"

"WHAT is the thing?"

The two men stared at each other for a second, sizing up the courage of the other man. Immediately after a silent defiance crossed between them, the two returned their attention to Natasha, blurting out their feelings in unison.

"I like you!"

"I love you!"

Natasha's usual calm demeanor suffered a quick blow, her eyes widening at the confession. As fast as the shock came, it was gone, leaving behind a seemingly stoic –but still shocked inside, Agent Romanoff. She eyed Steve, almost laughing at the comical way his face was reddening after his confession. She then turned to Clint, and it took her all her energy to not blush at his blunt declaration of love.

"Right," she finally said. "Is this a joke?"

"What, no! I don't joke about these things, ma'am. I do like you and would like to ask you out on a date." Steve said, gaining a little bit more confidence from her lack of instant rejection.

"Nat, I'm sorry I feel this way. I know you don't care for this, but what did you expect? I mean, all that time we've spent together, and…well…you know."

And she did know because she felt the same way. However, this exact situation was what she had been avoiding since she had realized how she felt for Clint. Her idea of placing some distance between them was not working out, and she had now given Steve the wrong idea about her intentions with him –or lack thereof.

"Guys, uhm…this is very flattering, but…Steve…I…"

_I love Hawkeye_, she wanted to say, but the words did not make it out of her mouth. It was difficult enough to come to terms with falling prey to what she had always thought was nothing more than a weakness, and having Steve present did not make it easier on her to accept Clint's words. _What the hell do I do? What the…oh, God!_

"Nat, you have to choose." Clint's statement made her snap out of her internal meltdown. "Just tell us if we have a chance, and if we don't, we'll leave you alone."

"A… chance?"

"Yes, Natasha," Steve chimed in, seeing the benefit of getting a direct answer now. "Are you interested in either of us?"

"I…uhm…" she began, staring at the two men, unsure of what to do. She opened her mouth a few times to say something, and each time both Clint and Steve leaned closer to her as if to hear her better, but she never actually spoke.

The sensation of being cornered was growing, and she hated to feel that way. This was the approach Clint had taken on her a few weeks ago, and it had only pissed her off. Did he not know any better? Did he not know that pressing for an answer was not going to get them anywhere?

Then again, there was also Steve, who truly did not know any better. Had Clint set Steve up? Or, was Steve setting up Clint? Either way, she could not give in to their charade, irrespective to how correct Rhodey had been in his advice to her regarding what to do if such a situation would arise. And to think she had rolled her eyes when Rhodey had said her attitude toward the two men would lead to this very moment, sooner or later.

_Rhodey, if only he was here_, she mused, wishing the new friend she had made would magically appear in front her, saving her from this awkward situation. The man had a knack for offering help in the direst situations, and never in her life had she met someone who was so easy to trust as the General had been. She now understood why Tony kept him around; Rhodey was the finest example of a best friend one could possibly have.

"Nat?"

Natasha's face of uncertainty was replaced by one of decisiveness, and neither man could find their voice when they saw the clear change in her posture and eyes. She stared at each one with a straight face, readying herself for what was to come. It was now or never, and she rather it be now.

"Guys, I…Well…"

"Yes?" both men asked.

"I'm…I'm a…I'm a lesbian?" she said, sounding not at all convinced of her lie but deciding to continue her false admission. "Yes, that's right. I am a lesbian." she continued with more confidence

"I guess that resolves that issue, right?" She added before turning around on her heels and locking herself in her bathroom until the maintenance crew stopped by to fix her door.

* * *

**A/N:** Due to life, updates will become slower, as in once a week. Please be patient! Thank you


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Rhodey sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his chin with his left hand as he always did when he was carefully thinking about his next words after being faced with a precarious situation. He stared down at his redheaded friend as she lay on her back on her bed, covering her face with her hands, which was where she made camp before calling him back to base with an urgent tone.

As soon as the General had arrived to their floor, she had dragged him inside her room and placed a chair under the knob of her recently fixed door. She knew the chair meant nothing as far as security went regarding the inhabitants of the building, but under the current circumstances she found it somewhat comforting to have the piece of furniture holding down the fort.

James rested his back against the headboard, placing his intertwined hands on his lap before he spoke.

"So, Steve told you he _likes_ you?" he asked.

"Yes," she responded in a tone Rhodey was not sure if it was meant to denote agony or frustration, Natasha not daring to move anything else other than her lips.

"And Barton told you he _loves_ you?"

"Yup," she responded, the idea still making her chest tighten in anticipation.

"And…in exchange for their declaration of feelings, _you_ told them you're a lesbian?"

Natasha's only response was to groan, this time evident in her tone that frustration was the only emotion she felt regarding the cheap shot she had used to handle the situation in question.

"Right, that sounds smart." Rhodey began, nodding to himself. "Because _lying_ is the best thing to do when someone tells you they_ love_ you. You're _positive_ you're not related to Tony?"

"I'm not!" she responded, insulted by the idea that her actions were comparable to Tony's least memorable ones. "Please tell me it's not as bad as it sounds? It could've been worse, right?"

"Just so you know, you totally sound just like Stark right now, asking that question," Rhodey stated after a brief pause. "And, oh yeah, definitely, of course, I guess it could've been worse. I mean, you could've, I don't know, KILLED them for their troubles?"

"Rhodey!" The assassin cried, sitting up on her bed and growling. "What the hell do I do now?"

"You mean after the fact? Well, I think you're pretty much done," he told her; trying his best to hide the chuckle that threatened to escape him. No matter her lifetime of intense training, nothing had ever prepared her for the simultaneous blunt declarations of love of the two men she worked with.

"But, seriously, Natasha, I want to understand where that response came from. Clearly, you aren't gay, so…what's the deal?"

Still on her bed, Natasha took a deep breath, turned around to face Rhodey and pulled back her legs, crossing them underneath herself. She opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to come up with a proper retort that did not make her sound like a child, but even a child would know there was no such reply.

"I freaked out," she finally said, knowing that Rhodey would have not accepted anything else from her but the undeniable truth, and in the back of her mind she felt she owed him nothing less than pure honesty.

At first, the former Russian national had believed James to be just another badass superhero in the making, and had judged him beforehand due to the General's connection to Tony. However, now that she had had the opportunity to spend quality time with Rhodey, he had earned from her a level of trust only a handful of people had the privilege of claiming.

"Clearly, Tash," he stated, using the nickname he had given her. "Question is: _why_ did you freak out? I doubt a pretty lady such as you hasn't been told or proposed worse things."

"Yeah," she began, recollecting the loads of occasions the men she had been assigned to spy on had seen her face and willing attitude, and had believed a great night was in order. She also remembered their surprised faces when she gave them more than what they expected –an honorable death.

"I once had a guy who wanted me to do the Burning Amazon with him."

"The _what_?"

"You know, you get a lighter and…"

"STOP!" Rhodey said, covering his ears and closing his eyes, earning him a chuckle from Natasha. "NOTHING, and I say NOTHING good ever starts with 'you get a lighter…'"

"It didn't…for _him_," she said, almost forgetting why she had been upset a second ago, but then the reality came crashing down on her once more. "Anyway, I wasn't expecting them to just _barge_ into my room and pull a fast one on me. I mean, I should've seen it coming at some point, but I didn't expect the _two_ of them to do it at the same time."

"True. I mean, you knew about Cap, right?"

"Yeah, I did. But, still, I feel like it's my fault; as if, I somehow led him on."

"You probably did," Rhodey agreed, nodding vigorously to stress his point. "But, you probably didn't realize you did, and Cap is not all up-to-date, so to speak, so...I guess he read too much into what you said or did."

"You know, I thought that if I let him beat me, he'd get annoyed with liking a weak human, or some stupid shit like that."

Rhodey could not help to laugh out loud. "Are you serious? Tash, that's, like, the number one turn on for someone like Steve. He used to be small and frail, remember?"

"Dammit!" Natasha uttered, slamming her fists on her knees.

"Wow! You really don't have a clue about relationships, huh?"

"I never needed that skill for my job!"

"But you do need it for life."

"Oh, shut up."

"I will…but not yet. What about Clint?"

The tension building in her shoulders was visible all the way to Stark's mansion. She had hoped she did not have to talk about Clint with anyone, but she figured that if she had to share her fears with someone, it might as well be Rhodes.

"Well, you already know about it."

"I do, but, does he know?"

"Probably not."

"You haven't told him?"

"You make it sound as if it was so easy."

"It IS. You just do, well, what he did, walk up to him and tell him. It's not like he's gonna reject you, anyway."

Natasha narrowed her eyes at Rhodey, not necessarily to reflect anger towards the man, but as a sign of deep thought.

Rhodey did have a point that Barton would not reject her if she were to tell him she reciprocated his feelings, but she also knew that revealing his emotions as he had was not something he was known to do. Just as her, they both knew the serious implications of dating a coworker, and the danger that could befall them.

However, even though Clint was a tad more experienced in matters of the heart, she still found it strange for him to follow through with the confession as if he had nothing to lose. It felt to her as if he had been forced to do so, conned into it, or…

"You know something, Rhodey? I don't think I'm concentrating on the actual root of the problem here."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you find it odd that they both show up at my doorstep and blurt out all these things to me? Why now? Why not separately? Or, not at all?"

"Maybe they found out about the other and wanted to be the first one to tell you?"

Natasha shook her head; it did not sound like something the Hawkeye she knew would even consider. He did have a competitive spirit within him, but there was just something peculiar about the entire situation, and she could not quite put a finger onto it.

"What are you thinking, Tash?"

"I'm thinking we talk to Coulson."

xxxXXXxxx

Coulson, Clint and Steve sat around a table in one of the private conference rooms, staring into nothingness as they thought about the situation at hand. Barton's face was one of disbelief. Steve's was one of confusion, and Coulson's was just Coulson's: unreadable.

Steve stared at Clint and then at Coulson, as if trying to determine the severity of the development by simply assessing the facial expressions of the S.H.I.E.L.D. veterans. It was times like this he wished he had his own version of Jarvis, to which he could ask any question of this new world he was yet to learn about. Alas, the option was not available at the moment, so he had to go with the next best thing.

"What's a lesbian?" Steve finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity. "What does that have to do with Natasha's feelings?"

The two other men slowly shifted their face to stare at the Captain before eyeing each other, silently playing rock-paper-scissors to determine who would have the responsibility of enlightening the lost man.

After an exchange of blinks, Coulson's snap of his fingers symbolized he had lost the game, leading him to pull out his tablet and bringing up his favorite search engine. He typed the term in question, and very explicit images appeared on the screen less than a second later. He found the most unambiguous picture of all, which also included a description of the term, before handing the tablet to the Captain.

Steve stared at Coulson with a questioning look as he carefully took the device from Phil. It took him a moment to stare down at the screen but once he did, his eyes widened like saucers before looking up to stare at Coulson and Clint.

"What is this?!"

"You asked," Clint responded with a bored tone.

"But…what…I…oohhh," the Captain finally said, his face showing the understanding dawning on him. "So…wait, what? How does that even work?"

"Do you need a coloring book, Cap?"

Steve did not respond vocally, but his unamused face said everything for him. Clint shrugged at him, shaking his head at Steve's naivety. "She's lying. I know she is."

"Do you, now? Why would someone lie about being…this?" Steve asked, pointing at the image on the tablet but trying not to stare directly at it. The graphical explanation was like staring at an eclipse for the veteran of war. Well, if he knew about not looking directly at them, anyway.

"I know my Nat. She's hiding something."

"Seriously?" Captain Rogers began. "From all the ways people ever hid stuff from other people back in my time, THIS is NOT one that made it to the list."

"Well, at least she didn't say she had AIDS," Coulson suggested, in an uncharacteristic display of grim humor from him.

"AIDS?" Steve asked before shaking his head and returning his attention to the tablet, intending to look up the definition of the new word he had just heard.

"So, now what, Phil?" Clint asked crossing is arms in front of his chest and sighing loudly. "She obviously doesn't want to tell me what the fuck is bothering her. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Maybe stop listening in on her conversations behind her door?" Coulson suggested.

"Hey!" Steve chirped in. "First, how do _you_ know about that? And, second, can I borrow this from you? I kinda need it," he asked Phil, referring to the electronic tablet.

"You can keep it. And, well, there are cameras around here in the halls. Did you really think the two of you crouching in front of her door with your faces plastered on it was not going to be noticeable? We're not the NSA, but we are a spy organization."

"I don't give a damn. What if she's hiding something bad? What if she's ill or something?" Clint said, not caring one bit that the camera feed had picked up on his dishonorable listening-in activities.

"I doubt Natasha would lie about something like that," Phil retorted.

"I don't know. You know how she gets sometimes," Clint responded, thinking of the many occasions she had hidden wounds of battle until she was almost passing out due to blood loss.

"Hold up!" Steve began, staring at the tablet and then at Phil and Clint. "Does this NSA place know I just researched pictures of lesbians?"

Coulson chuckled, never ceasing to be amused by his childhood hero. Clint, however, rolled his eyes, quickly losing his patience with Steve.

"I'm getting out of here. I gotta go see Nat."

"What? No! You can't talk to her just yet," Steve said.

"Why not?"

"Well, you said that she's probably hiding something, right? Maybe it's not the best time to confront her about it. She'll tell you when she feels ready."

"She _won't_ tell anyone, that's the thing."

"Maybe she'll tell Rhodes," Coulson proposed, standing up from his chair and heading to the door. "She told me she really likes him, so maybe that's what she's been hiding. Anyway, I gotta go. Good luck with this."

"Rhodey? See? I told you, Clint!" Steve said, pointing at him with an angry finger and turning to ask more information from Coulson but the man had already left the premises. "Now what?"

"Now," Clint began, "we talk to Rhodey."

xxxXXXxxx

The small steps were hardly audible to the untrained ear, but the two presences were obvious to the cameras. A handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents monitored the hall feed of the private quarters of the top agency's members, watching Hawkeye and Captain America make their way to Rhodey's room. The two men in the camera knocked on the General's door, patiently waiting for a response.

"You still owe me 20 bucks!" Agent Lowes noted to his peer, regarding his winnings of the last betting game.

"Come on! Double-or-nothing that Captain knocks down her door again." Agent Gayle responded.

"Really? I don't think he would."

"I think he will."

The challenged agent thought about the odds for a while before accepting the new bet terms. "Deal! Where's the General?"

"He's in Black Widow's room," Gayle responded.

"Fuck! The door is going down!" Lowes stated, already feeling his wallet becoming $40 lighter before adding. "Do they know we can see them?"

"Nope."

"Sweet. Oh, by the way. Agent Coulson said he is in on the pool of Agent Romanoff kicking their ass when she finds out about the listening in, and is betting $50 it takes Stark 3 days to find out that Natasha sent the fax."

xxxXXXxxx

After waiting for a minute of silence, Barton began walking away from Rhodey's door and heading to Natasha's room, fearing his assumption that Rhodey and her were together at the moment was becoming true. Steve followed Clint closely behind before stopping all of a sudden and tensing up, grabbing Clint by his arm and pulling him back.

"Oh, my God! They…they're…"

"What?" Clint asked, trying to free his arm from the strong grip. "Let me go."

"No, wait. I can…I can hear _them_."

"Hear them? Hear who?"

"James…and…Natasha…we…we don't want to go there right now."

"What? Why? What are they…oh? No. Way." Clint said when realization dawned on him. Steve's quickly blushing face and wide eyes told Hawkeye that the Captain's superior hearing abilities had suddenly become a burden to him.

Without a second thought, both men ran toward Natasha's door, shamelessly pressing their ears to it and holding their breath as they heard the distinct sounds coming from the inside.

_ "Oh, Rhodey! Yes! Oh!"_

_ "You like that? Yes?"_

_ "More, please!"_

_ "Turn around, Tash."_

"T-turn around? For what?" Steve whispered to Barton, part of him telling him to get out and other part telling him to stay. "Turn around for _what_?"

Clint's face was one of denial. The sounds coming from Natasha's room were unmistakable, but his mind refused to believe the cruel reality of the situation. Was this the reason Natasha had lied to them? To protect her affair with Rhodes?

"Clint, I think we should just leave. Clint? Barton! Hello!"

_"So good, James! JAMES! JAMES!"_

Thud.

At first, neither man understood where the sound had come from; the silence that followed was not a comfortable one. It took both men a second to realize they were no longer resting against the door, but lying on the floor, staring at each other, and being stared down by James and Natasha.

They swallowed hard, slowly looking up to see the face of a very irritated Black Widow, and the condescending look of James Rhodes. An instant later, the two downed men realized they had been conned.

"Tash, I think you owe Coulson $30 bucks," Rhodey said, referring to the fact that their plan to set up Clint and Steve had succeeded. "I didn't think you guys had it in you to spy on your friends."

Steve and Clint scrambled to their feet, looking embarrassed and upset at the same time. "Is this what lesbians are supposed to do?" Steve asked, still confused as to why Natasha would be seeing Rhodey on the side if she was interested in women.

"I told you she was lying," Clint said, staring at Natasha with hurtful eyes. "And I want to know why."

"Hey, Steve," Rhodey began. "Why don't we go have a talk, huh?"

Steve stared at Natasha, and then at Clint before deciding both he and Rhodes were nothing but third wheels at the moment. The Captain followed Rhodey to his room, leaving behind the two friends who were long overdue for a very personal chat.

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper and Tony Stark sat in their living room, a wide smile on the missus, but a frown on Tony's face. For the past hour, the newly hired party planner had been rambling about how wonderful the birthday party for the twins was going to be, and Pepper was becoming more excited by the second. Tony, however, was staring at the man with doubtful eyes.

"So, how many you invite?" the planner, Frank, asked in his indecipherable accent, sitting in front of the couple.

"We don't have a definite count yet, but we're expecting at least 100 guests." Pepper responded, making a mental note to begin writing down the names of potential guests.

Tony's head snapped to his right, a look of shock evident on his face. "At _least_ 100? Do we even _know_ 100 people?"

"Well, Tony," she began, smiling at him in that way she did when she was trying to politely put out an incoming Stark-attack before it started. "It is a kid's birthday party. Usually _lots_ of kids are around during these."

"Yeah, but, a 100 of them? We only have two! But, Pep, if you wanna make more of them, well, I ain't gonna say no…"

Pepper took a deep breath, the fake smile never leaving her face but her eyes burning into his. He recognized the look and the warning she was giving him, and not wanting to fight with her, he shrugged and returned his attention to Frank, crossing his arms in front of his chest and silently giving Pepper the metaphorical podium.

"Frank, how long do you think it will take to plan?"

"Three weeks should suffice, but it is customary to give guests a month-notice to RSVP."

"Alright then, why don't we start right now? What do you need from me?"

"Oh, darling!" Frank began, grabbing Pepper's hands in his and kissing them. "You get me list of guests and Frank will handle everything."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. No worry. Frank will take care of you and your babies. Are they gorgeous like you?"

Tony cleared his throat, staring at the entwined hands and then glaring at Frank. Tony knew Frank was clearly not interested in women, but the fact did not deter the billionaire's natural tendency to keep Pepper to himself from rearing its ugly face.

"Well, since you don't need us, then," Tony said, taking Pepper's hands from Frank's. "We'll just show you off to the office so you can start working on whatever it is that you do. OK?"

"Of course, of course!"

"Follow me, Frank" Pepper said, standing up and leading Frank away from the fuming Tony. A few minutes later, Pepper returned to the living room, shaking her head disapprovingly at him.

"What? He was too touchy. I don't like that," Tony defended himself from his wife's silent argument. "Why don't we just let Jarvis do the planning for us?"

"Tony, we're not having this discussion again."

"Why not? Don't you trust Jarvis to make it happen?"

"I trust Jarvis, Tony. But, it's not his job to do whatever you think he should be doing."

_"I'm happy to assist, Mrs. Stark,"_ the AI interjected, making Pepper frown as she stared at the ceiling. Even after the wedding, Jarvis had still called Pepper by her maiden name since, technically, her first last name was still Potts.

"Mrs. Stark?" Pepper asked Tony, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yeah, uhm," Tony cleared his throat. "It's, ah, just, you know, a formality."

"Tony, you can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"This! Doing everything and anything to _mark_ your territory around me or whatever!"

"I'm not marking my territory! You're my wife, right? What's wrong with me reminding people that you're mine?"

"Yours? Really? Are we back to that? I think there isn't a soul on Earth that doesn't know we're together."

"You never know. I mean, that nice lady in Mexico didn't know! Who, by the way, sends her regards and wants to know when you can visit. I'm thinking later this summer." He said, referring to last week's visit he had paid to the small village Pepper had been recovered from, so that he could personally offer them his thanks.

"Besides, I gotta make sure that by the time we're called on our first mission, _everyone _knows not to mess with Iron Man's wife."

"After everything that has happened, you're still worried about that? Tony, we're married, we live together, we have two wonderful kids, and we spend every second of our lives breathing down each other's throats. I think you're overdoing it, and you'll just have to tone it down."

"Tone it down? TONE _it_ DOWN? I don't have that setting, Pepper!"

"Well, you're just gonna have to make one because I'm tired of having our employees at SI freak out around you! They're so afraid they'll do something you don't think is safe for me or the babies and fire them! Do you know how many perfectly good assistants have quit on me?"

"No, but if they did, I had nothing to do with it."

"The hell you didn't! They said they couldn't take you harassing them anymore!"

"Harassing? Psh! People find you searching through a fridge and all of a sudden it's harassment?"

"Tony! It was _their_ house you had broken into, and it was _their_ fridge you were raiding! In the _middle_ of the night! In _your _suit!"

"God, Pepper! What do you want from me? Is it suddenly illegal to care about your family's well being?"

"No, but why can't you just do it like a normal person?"

"Like how? Should I have 'Property of Tony Stark" tattooed on your ass?" he said before taking a brief pause as his eyes lit up. "I should have 'Property of Tony Stark' tattooed to your ass!"

"Anthony Edward Stark! You're…" Pepper began before stopping her rant and her eyes widened. She slowly turned her body away from Tony, staring into the horizon visible from the ocean view of the mansion. She took a few steps toward the large windows, placing her hand over the glass and scanning the outside with her eyes.

Tony looked around, not understanding what had just happened. One moment Pepper had been ready to make sure his ass was handed back to him, and the next she was acting as if he were not there at all. He took a couple of steps toward her, leaning to his right and bending slightly forward to try and see her reflection in the window.

"Pep?"

His voice broke her out of her trance, turning around to face him once more with surprised eyes. "Is Ms. Smith still here?"

"The nanny? Yeah, she's with the kids in their room, why?"

"I can feel them, five of them. They're closing in on a village we know."

"Five of what? What village? Pepper what are you…" he began, but his questions were answered when her eyes glowed, tears forming in her eyes, causing his own eyes to widen.

"Tony…" she began, but he was already running to his lab, telling Jarvis to prepare the suit and call Fury. After letting Gillian know of their sudden absence, and by the time Pepper had ran downstairs and jumped into one of the cars with the destination of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Iron Man was already on his way to the Mexican Peninsula.

* * *

**A/N:** Their first mission, YAY! Oh, please, do NOT search for the meaning of the Burning Amazon. Believe me; you DON'T want to know what it is. Did anyone recognize Frank? If not, watch _Father of the Bride_. Anyway, thank you for your patience, and we'll see each other next weekend!


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I am SO, SO, SO, SO SOOOORRRYYY! I know I said I was going to update once a week, and it has been two weeks, so I beg for forgiveness. I didn't mean to mislead anyone.

Writing and updating four stories at the same time was confusing the hell out of me, so I decided to power through my other Iron Man story _30 Days_ (which, I recommend you read ;)). Now that that story is over, I'm focusing on _Man in a Can_ nonstop until it is over.

Thank you for your patience ^_^

* * *

**Chapter 6**

By the time Iron Man arrived at the small village, there was very little to do in terms of rescue. The flames could be seen from afar, the rich forest surrounding the settlement a raging inferno. Township people carried water from the nearby river and ocean to the scene, in whatever containers they could get their hands on: buckets, pitchers, and even plastic cups. However, their best efforts were not enough to salvage their scarce belongings.

Tony watched in anger as children sat on the floor, holding onto their siblings and watching the adults of the community scrounge to find whatever was left that could be reclaimed. The huts burned quickly, leaving behind nothing but ash and memories.

_Dammit! I wasn't fast enough!_

Iron Man took to the skies, looking every which-way to find anything he could use to help. The village was remote, with hardly any commodities accessible. There was nothing around that he could use to carry massive amount of waters with, nothing he could quickly mold to serve his needs. These people only had their families and their huts, and nothing but vast amounts of land and forest surrounded them.

"¡Ayudenme, por favor! ¡María! ¡Está atrapada!"

Tony picked up the gist of the plea for help, and recognized the name as belonging to the kind-hearted woman that had nursed his Pepper back to health. He lowered himself and flew to where the man that had just asked for help was standing, flailing his arms trying to get anyone's attention.

The billionaire lifted his face plate, grabbing the desperate man by the arms, and getting his attention.

"¿Donde está?" Tony asked the man.

"No ha salido de su casa. ¡Ayúdela, por favor!" the man responded as he pointed to the burning home.

Tony wasted no time, rushing to the hut and walking in, the heat not bothering him thanks to the upgrades he had made to the suit after training with Pepper. The place looked nothing like he remembered when he had visited last week, but his only concern was finding Maria, preferably alive.

He called out her name, but there was no response. The smoke was thick, and he knew probably scalding as well. If he found Maria alive, she would probably be severely injured for life.

"Maria! Maria!" Tony yelled, the name tugging at his heart. For an instant, he could not help but picturing his own mother being amidst the chaos, and her life relying on his aid.

"Maria!" Tony yelled again before his armored foot hit something on the floor. He bent down and saw nothing but blankets and old palm tree leaves, yet Jarvis's analysis showed him someone was underneath.

"Dammit!" he cursed, pulling the debris off the woman and finding her below all of it. He retracted the armor off his hand, instantly feeling the steam burning it. He bit his lip and ignored the pain, checking for a pulse.

"Hang in there, Maria! I'll get you out!" Tony said, placing his armor on his hand once more, and picking up the woman from the floor. He pressed her as close to his body as he could, lowering his head to protect her from the falling ceiling. By the time he exited the collapsing hut the entire population of the village had stopped trying to stop the fire, and instead were trying to find a safe place to ride out the rest of the day.

Tony took Maria's limp body to the man that had been screaming her name. They placed her on the ground, and it was not until them that Tony noticed the burnt skin on her face. The moist eyes of the man told Tony they both had the same thought. If Maria lived, she was not going to be able to do much more than breathe and eat.

"Lo siento mucho," Tony apologized, feeling even more useless than he already felt. He knew reinforcements would not arrive for another 45 minutes to an hour and by then the village would be flattened out. However, the threat the fire posed was still imminent as the shrubs and trees around the village would guarantee its spreading.

The sound of incoming vehicles caught everyone's attention. A few feet from them, two old pickup trucks stopped, their owners exiting the vehicle in awe of the scene in front of them. Tony flew over to them, eyeing the back of the trucks with desperate eyes. His faceplate opened up once more, and he spoke to one of the newcomers.

"Do you speak English?"

"A little," the man responded in a thick accent.

"I need your truck," Tony said, finally feeling close to being able to help in some form. "I need a large bucket."

"Bucket?" the man asked, not knowing the meaning of the word.

"Agua," Tony said, pointing to the back of the truck and then to the fire. He was familiar with the Spanish language, but his lack of practice was costing him being able to properly communicate with the locals. "Bucket…agua…your truck."

The man turned around, stared at his dingy truck and then at the fire. He was not thrilled to give Iron Man his only vehicle, but he understood that his own town could be in danger if the fire continued to spread.

"OK," the man said.

Tony wasted no time, pulling the man out of the way and lowering his face place. Using the lasers in his wrists, he cut the cabin from the back of the truck, leaving the bed free to use. Iron Man lifted the bed up in the sky with him, and headed to the closest source of water available.

He held the makeshift bucket above his head, slowly dunking himself and it inside the river. A minute later, Tony was carefully flying back to the village, carrying the bed filled with pouring water in his hands.

The locals watched in astonishment as Iron Man maneuvered the contraption until he was able to pour the water on a portion of where the village had once stood, effectively putting out the fire in that section. In a flash, Tony was gone to repeat the action as many times as needed to stop the flames.

Half an-hour later, the fire had been contained. Tony dropped the bed on the ground before falling from the air himself, landing on all fours and staying there as he caught his breath. Even in the suit of armor, the effort had been straining for him, leaving him breathing heavily and already feeling his muscles ache.

When he heard Jarvis telling him Pepper and company were in range, he closed his eyes and collapsed on the ground.

xxxXXXxxx

When Tony Stark opened his eyes again, he found himself in the back of the second truck, covered by a thin blanket, and not inside his suit. He panicked for a second, touching his body to make sure everything else was still in place as he sat up in the back of the vehicle. The expanded view allowed him to see his armor standing a few feet away from him, still as it should be when not commanded by its creator.

"About time you wake up, Stark," Barton said, walking up to the billionaire and sitting next to him. "Although I gotta say, that was a nice move you pulled there."

Tony stared at the archer for a second, trying to read in his face what had occurred after he had passed out, but the master sniper's face was as stoic as ever.

"Where's Pepper?"

"She's inside our choppers with a couple of our paramedics, overseeing the medical attention of the injured."

Without another word, Tony jumped off the truck, and headed to the chopper, followed by Clint who had been assigned to keep an eye on him until he woke up. As he walked down the path of destruction, he could feel the glances he was getting from the villagers. They had more than likely seen Pepper take off his suit while unconscious, and they were probably wondering how one single man could have pulled the stunt he had.

As he reached the S.H.I.E.L.D. chopper, he saw Romanoff and Pepper helping the paramedics patch up the children, and Bruce assisting with the adults while War Machine and Captain America were performing cleanup duty of debris. He stood by the ramp, feeling the same sense of failure that reflected in the Avengers' eyes, knowing this village had been placed in danger due to their connections with the heroes.

"Pepper?" he called out to her, and she immediately looked up to him. She swallowed hard as she whispered something to the child she was keeping company. The child nodded and then giggled, pointing at Tony and blushing. Pepper gave the little girl one last smile before making her way toward her husband.

"Are you OK, Tony?" Pepper asked him, already knowing he was physically OK, but knowing that if there was one thing Iron Man despised of his job was to fail a mission or failing to save a life.

"I could be better. What about you?" he asked her, cupping her face with her hands.

Pepper shook her head, her eyes filling with tears again as she hugged Tony. "Maria's not gonna make it, Tony."

He tightened his embrace, rubbing her back to provide some comfort. "I'm sorry, Pepper. I was too late."

"It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I should've picked up on the signs sooner…I should've sensed them quicker…I should've…" she trailed. "I need to train more. I can't let this happen again," she said, choking on her words, and breaking his heart with them.

"Sshh, babe, sshhh. It's not your fault. It's Killian's. He made these people who they are. He gave them powers they should've never had."

"I know, but…I could've stopped them. I could've…"

"No, Pep, don't do that. Don't blame yourself. We're here now, right? Let's do what we can for them."

Pepper nodded, pulling away from him for a moment and sniffled. "We need to help them rebuild, Tony. Please…even if just…"

"I was already thinking about it, and we will. I'll get Jarvis to get us some buses here to get these people to a decent place to spend the night," he said, noticing the day was beginning to wind down.

"No, it's OK. S.H.I.E.L.D. is sending more choppers. We're gonna fly them out of here to the closest major city, Merida."

"OK, but I'm still getting Jarvis to get some contractors over here. We're getting them real homes."

"¡Señora Stark! ¡Venga por favor!" The couple heard from afar. The same man that had taken Maria from Tony was approaching them in a rush.

"Señora Stark, María quiere verla."

Pepper recognized the man was addressing her by using Tony's last name, and understood Maria's name, and even though she was not sure what else was being said, she followed the man, Tony holding onto her hand and following her.

"Pepper, she…she was injured."

"I know. I saw her earlier; she hadn't woken up yet."

The increased grip on his hand told him she knew what was to come, and silently thanked him for being there with her with a quick glance.

When Pepper reached Maria's location, she kneeled down next to her, caressing the woman's gray strands off her face. Despite the burnt skin, the woman had a smile on her face, looking up at Pepper as if she was looking at her own flesh and blood.

"Mi niña, viniste a ayudarnos," Maria said as Pepper held the woman's hand.

Pepper looked back to Tony, waiting for a translation from him.

"She said you came to help everyone."

Pepper returned her eyes to Maria, tearing up again and nodding to her. Pepper had never actually spoken to the woman until now, but Pepper was everything but ungrateful. She had wanted to come visit them with Tony, but her duties as co-CEO of SI and her training as an Avenger had prevented her from doing so. "I'm sorry, Maria. I'm sorry I was so late."

Maria's attention was caught by Tony when he crouched down next to Pepper, to translate for her.

"Pepper pide disculpas por llegar tarde," Tony said, to which the woman snickered and shook her head.

"Lo que importa es que viniste, tú y tu esposo, antes de que me muera. Yo quería verte una vez más."

Tony took a deep breath, staring at Pepper knowing the translation would hurt her even more. Any other day he would have kept her in the dark, but if he did so today, it would have been a disservice to the woman that had kept her alive for six months.

"She said that what matters is that you're here, that we both are. She's just glad that she gets to see you…one last time."

Pepper sobbed, holding onto her firmly, whispering her thanks to her. "If it wasn't for you, I'd have never had my babies, or would've gotten back to Tony. I'm sorry I didn't help you sooner. I'll never forget what you did for me."

Tony translated Pepper's words to the woman, who gave her one last smile and nod. Maria's smile slowly disappeared, and her eyes closed to never open again. Pepper yelped, clinging onto the dead body of her caretaker, sobbing loudly before Tony pulled her away and held her racking body.

Tony held on to her, kissing the side of her face and whispering words of comfort. Some of the locals began crying as well, knowing what Pepper's sadness implied.

"Pepper…let's just…" Tony began, but was interrupted when Pepper pulled away from him, staring to her right. He felt her fingernails dig into his skin, the warmth emanating from her telling him she was not fully in control of her actions.

"Pepper, snap out of it," he said, causing Pepper's head to return to face his.

"They're still here. Ten miles, that way," she said, pointing with the finger on a northwest direction. "Take me there," she said, standing up and taking Tony with her.

The Iron Man suit met them halfway, enveloping Tony with its armor before grabbing Pepper by her waist, leaving nothing behind but a trail of dust and smoke where they had just been.

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper did not even wait for Tony to land and jumped off from the skies down to the ground. She landed gracefully in front of the five Extremis soldiers, who stared blankly at her. The loud thud of Iron Man landing behind them startled them even more, making them look back and forth between Pepper and the billionaire.

"Why did you set the village on fire?" Pepper demanded, her eyes glowing orange and her fists glowing red.

"We ain't telling you shit, bitch," one of the five said to her after he recovered his senses, before Tony's repulsor hit him in the back, sending him flying off to Pepper who received him with a punch through the stomach.

The body of the man fell to ground, groaning as the virus worked hard to rebuild the hole in his belly. The other four could tell Pepper was like them, so they turned around and tried attacking Tony instead.

Iron Man took a step back, aiming his repulsors at them, hitting two of the soldiers and slowing them down. The other two however, jumped on him, trying to burn through Tony's suit.

Pepper ran toward the group, grabbed the two soldiers clinging to Tony, and pulled them off him, sending them flying behind her.

She then turned around so that she was giving her back to Tony, shielding him from the other two incoming soldiers who were now recovering from the repulsor's blasts. She extended her arms to her sides, and after a blink from Tony's eyes, she had ran towards them, decapitating them with her hands.

Tony had never seen Pepper move this fast when they fought. She was as fast as Killian, and it only proved to him that her training was truly working to develop her skills.

"Pepper?" he called out to her, hoping the Extremis was not completely overtaking her. "Don't kill the other two. We still need answers."

Pepper looked down to see the leader of the small army starting to recover, and she smirked to him. "Guess I don't' need you," she said, venom in her voice as she prepared to slay the man, but Tony walked up to her, holding her hand before she inflected the fatal blow.

"Pep, it's OK. You got two of them, let's take the other three back with us to base."

Pepper exhaled, glaring at the man below them, who was actually looking afraid of the ginger. He had thought the woman was just like them, but she acted more like the man that had given them their powers –stronger, even.

The other two soldiers stood up from the ground, but instead of trying to continue the battle, they began fleeing the scene. Tony took a step to follow them, but Pepper stopped him.

"I'll get them," she said.

"Pepper, don't kill them," he reminded her.

"I won't…_yet_," she said, then looking down at the man on the ground she groaned. "If you lay a finger on Iron Man, I will _fry_ your head."

The man nodded, blinking rapidly and almost holding his breath. Pepper gave Tony a nod before taking off and running toward the two fleeing men.

Iron Man watched her figure become lost in the bushes before looking down to the trembling man by his feet. "Call my wife a bitch again and I will make you swallow your balls."

xxxXXXxxx

Nick Fury, Agent Coulson and Pepper Potts sat across from the two surviving raiders of the village in Yucatan, waiting for the answers they were searching for. Pepper had returned with only one of the two fleeing men alive since the other had tried to attack her rather than surrendering like his partner. Pepper had exterminated him quickly, not wanting to risk the man returning to Tony and harming him as he had threatened to do.

After making sure his people took care of the villagers, Tony and the Avengers returned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base in California, and were now watching the interrogation from the other side of the tinted window.

"How are you so strong? You're just like us!" Michael, the leader of the five-man army asked Pepper, still not believing how easily she had disposed of his men.

"I will answer your question when you answer mine. Who sent you to burn down the village?"

"I already told you! The voice in our head did. It brought us together, and told us to kill them."

"What voice in your head?" Nick Fury asked, needing more than just broad answers to narrow down his search.

"You know, the voice…you've heard it too, haven't you?"

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him. She did remember _the_ voice that had made her attack Rhodey and Tony a few months ago. "What else did the voice tell you? Why did it have to be that village?"

"It said it was easy to get rid of them, and that the practice of our powers would be worth it. It never said anything about you showing up. He never told us he made more of us," the other man, Raul, answered.

"He? Who?"

"Killian or some other –the voice sounds a lot like him, actually," Michael said, his face showing he was just now making the connection.

Pepper cracked her knuckles, pushed herself away from the table and stood up. She turned around on her heels and walked to the door while Coulson spared her a quick glance and smiled. He knew what was coming, and so did Fury. Neither man tried to stop her, however, but Fury put his left hand to the wireless communicator in his ear.

"Stark, stop her!"

Pepper's boots resounded loudly on the concrete floor. Her fists burned red, and she walked with the determination only anger could give anyone. She was still consumed with anger and outrage over what had happened, it had not yet hit her that her rage, combined with the heightened aggression produced by Extremis, had enabled her to take three lives earlier. She heard Tony exiting the observation room and rushing toward her.

"Pepper, Honey, take it slow."

"He sent them to test me, Tony. He's not getting away with it."

"No, Pep, we don't know that for sure," he tried to reason with her without having to touch her, seeing steam coming out from her pores.

"Get out of my way, Mr. Stark," she said when she reached the first entrance of Killian's cell and Tony stood between her and the door.

"Sweetheart, please don't do this. We still need the jerkoff to find the rest of the soldiers and to cure them."

"We only need him to be able to talk," she deadpanned.

Tony exhaled loudly, his shoulders slumping and looking defeated. "Worth a shot," he said, stepping aside and letting Pepper continue her trek. She entered the anteroom leading to Aldrich's containment room, and when the second door opened, she saw Steve and Rhodey flanking Killian on either side.

The two men stared at Pepper, and when they tried to speak she lifted her left index finger towards them, shushing them immediately, and then pointed her thumb toward the exit.

Cap and Rhodey stared at each other and then at Pepper. After a silent conversation between them, they shrugged and walked around Pepper and headed out the door. Killian had a wide smile on his face, sitting comfortably in his chair.

"Pepper, darling, it's good to see –" he began, but was interrupted when Pepper ran toward him and lifted him off the chair by his neck with her right hand. Her left fist made contact with the side of his face, cracking the cheekbone on impact. She then let go of her grip on him, and as he was falling down she jumped upwards and kneed him in the stomach, sending him flying up. As he was returning near her reach again, she twisted her body and elbowed him in the chest, sending him flying away from her and hitting the back wall.

Pepper used her speed to follow him, preventing him from sliding down the wall by placing her left forearm on his neck.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't rip your brain out right now."

"Love, I don't need to remind you that you need me."

"Do I? I'm quite the self-learner. I don't really need you around."

"What you need to know is not written in books, Pepper."

"I'll manage."

"I don't think you can. I don't think you'll want to carry the guilt of killing your only source of knowledge of the Extremis."

"Tony can figure it out."

"Truly? Well, then do it," he teased, knowing she would not kill him. Pepper growled, hating the fact that she still needed him to learn more about how to better serve as a locator of the soldiers, and preventing another catastrophe to happen to innocent people.

"Besides, Pepper, you're barking up the wrong tree. I didn't send them."

"Bullshit! They said you manipulated them like you manipulated me!"

"And I'm telling you it wasn't me. Check your sources with Stark and Banner. They'll confirm I have not messed with anyone today."

Tony and Bruce had developed a sensor to detect when Killian attempted to communicate with other Extremis soldiers, and had they picked up any readings, she knew they would have already mentioned it by now.

"If you didn't send them, then who did?"

"How would I know, dear? This is why you have to learn from me, and you still have a lot of work to do."

"If I find out you're behind this, Killian…I swear…"

After a long exhale, Pepper dropped Killian on the floor, walked out of his cell and did not stop until she and Tony got to their car and headed home.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7  
**

Another meeting between The Mandarin and his watchful eyes was taking place. The highlight of the report was The Source's success in passing her first test. Thanks to their observations and Tony's early visit to the village in Mexico, The Mandarin had been able to send five low-level Extremis soldiers to measure the results of Pepper's training, and was extremely pleased with the results.

"When do you think she will be ready to join us?" The Mandarin asked.

"She's developing faster than we thought, sir. We think she will be ready in less than three months."

"Three months, you say?" The Mandarin asked, knowing that if he had waited for years for The Source to surface, three more months would not be a problem.

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. How is our guest doing?"

"He's been keeping to himself. He seems to enjoy meditation, quite much."

"Make sure to keep an eye on him. I trust he will be of use in collecting The Source for us, but I am also aware of his tendency to cause trouble and mayhem."

"We will, sir."

_Soon, the true power of the rings will be unleashed, and the world as we know it will burn, _the leader thought, staring down at his hands, itching, waiting for Pepper to be ready for the destiny she had inherited when the Extremis 2.0 syringe had been used on her.

_Soon._

xxxXXXxxx

The hyperactive scientist tinkered in his lab, playing around with schematics of his suits and determining which upgrades would comprise the Mark XLIV. The Mark XLIII had been good to him so far, but the incident at the village had brought some concerns to his mind. He knew adding the underwater breather his Mark VI sported was a must for the XLIV version, but he also wanted to increase the physical strength the suit provided him.

Tony stared at the gauntlet he held in his hand, his eyes focused on the repulsor, and wondered if there was a way to make his repulsor put out fires, rather than just causing them.

The images of a scorched and dying Maria still plagued him, and he knew the memories would never truly leave his mind, and neither would the images of crying children watching the only placed they had ever called home, burning to the ground.

So many possibilities, so little time.

Then, there was the issue with Pepper still having trouble controlling her anger while under the influence of the Extremis. She was getting better at not lashing out against anything and everything that moved, but the way she had decapitated the two Extremis soldiers had been a shock to him. Pepper was never one to support violence, but he knew the need to protect him from harm had pushed her to do the unthinkable: take someone's life.

This fact was the main reason he was spending time in the lab rather than with his family, trying to find a way to produce a better suit, one that would put Pepper's mind at ease, and convince her that Tony could hold his ground, and that she did not have to automatically resort to killing anyone who made a threat against him.

"Render the Mark XLIV, J, and show me the list of upgrades."

"Right away, sir."

Tony's eyes took in Jarvis's work on his display, mentally calculating the solutions to flaws he was already predicting. His concentration, however, was lost when he heard the horrible scream.

"TOOOONNNNYYYY!"

The shriek made him abruptly stand up from his chair, almost stepping on the previously resting Jarvis at his feet. The canine and master ran to the exit of the lab, fearing the worst had happened to the lady of the home. Jarvis's agility and extra pair of legs allowed him to climb the stairs faster than Tony taking the steps in two's.

"PEPPER!"

He skidded at the top of the stairs, staring in every direction as he waited for his wife to respond.

"In here!" her voice coming from the nursery made his stomach churn.

_Oh, no, the kids._

He ran toward the room, Jarvis following him, making it there in no time. He expected Pepper to be bloodied and hurt, or the cribs to be emptied of the little bodies he loved so much, or a gruesome combination of both. His fear clouded the fact that if an intruder had tried to pry their children away from them, Pepper would have melted them to ashes, and/or Jarvis would have notified him the moment danger knocked on his door.

Regardless of the terrible thoughts in his mind, what he found was even more perplexing than a kidnapping attempt. His eyes first landed on the confused-looking Gwyneth inside her crib, holding onto the rails of it. His eyes then traveled to stare at Pepper's crouching form on the floor while Robert sat on the carpet just three feet away from her.

"What happened?" came his concerned inquiry.

Pepper's head snapped to the door, the wide smile on her face making Tony relax. "Tony! You missed it! Robbie took his first step!"

"WHAT? Darn it! J, did you…"

"Indeed, sir. Sending the recorded feed to your workstation in the lab," stated Jarvis who lately seemed to be a step ahead of his master's reactions.

"Thanks, J."

Pepper returned her attention to the little boy, who had his tiny hands intertwined on his lap as nicely as a toddler could, smiling as he stared at his cheering mommy, asking him to walk again.

"Come on, Robbie. Daddy wants to see you walk!"

Tony held his breath, feeling that the slightest distraction would prevent his son showing off his newly acquired skill. Pepper tapped the spot on the floor in front her, reaching out to the male twin but not forcing him to get up.

"Come to mommy!" the ginger said, and Tony could not picture this woman being the same one that had slaughtered three men just days ago. It was as if there were now two of her; the usual caring, loving, delicate and neutral Pepper Potts-Stark, and the evil twin sister side of her. The one that glowed orange, burned people at will, killed without hesitation, and kicked Killian's ass as she saw fit.

"I think he's getting the stage fright, Peps."

"Aww! I wanted you to see it!"

"He'll do it again, I'm sure," he said, trying not to sound as disappointed as he felt for missing his son's first steps. "When's your training today?"

Pepper looked at her watch. It was early morning, and her only session of the day at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base was with Banner, but she would not be leaving until after lunch.

"Not for a while. Are you going to call Ms. Smith to watch over the kids?"

"No; I'd like to stay behind and watch over them, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," she responded, eyeing Jarvis as he nudged the baby boy's back, almost as if the canine knew what Pepper and Tony were waiting for. After another minute of no action, Tony sighed, feeling that the video waiting for him in the lab would be the only evidence of Robert's accomplishment.

"I'll be down –_whoa_!"

The superhero couple held their breaths watching their son try to push away Jarvis. It seemed the dog's insistence was beginning to annoy the boy, prompting him to use his animal friend as support to stand up. Pepper and Tony stared at each other, silently exchanging hopeful looks.

Robert wobbled on his spot, and it seemed for a moment as if he was about to give up his attempt to take a step, but no sooner than the possibility entered the parents' minds, baby boy Stark's tiny right leg moved a step forward.

Another wobble of his little body made Tony and Pepper lift their hands, as if trying to support him from afar. Robert looked down at his left leg, knotting his brows at it in a similar fashion as Pepper had witnessed Tony staring at malfunctioning prototypes.

The move of the stubborn left leg was accompanied by babbling, and the right leg quickly followed. Jarvis' light push behind Robert encouraged the toddler to take another step, then another, and another, until he was inches away from his mother. The smile on his face at realizing he could make himself move to where he wanted to go broke Pepper's heart, suddenly seeing him going off to college or on his wedding day.

"That's it, Robbie. You can do it," she encouraged him, wiggling her fingers to him. Robert took one final step and he finally reached her, chuckling on his way down to Pepper's lap when his tired legs gave.

"Oh, my God! My kid's a fucking athlete!" Tony uttered, running toward the scene of the triumph, realizing the use of the curse word only when Pepper chided him for it. After blaming his foul language on his excitement, he kneeled down and kissed his son on the head.

"That's my boy! You did great, Robbie!" the praise made the baby smile even wider.

Pepper responded to the child's extended arms, bringing him up from her lap and cradling him in her arms. Tony kept his eyes on him, grabbing one of his arms and kissing it lovingly. Baby girl Stark grumbled, wanting some of the attention her brother was getting, and immediately obtained it when Tony stood up and picked her up from the crib.

"I still love you, sweetheart. You'll walk soon, too."

As she watched Tony comfort his daughter, Pepper's face suddenly turned somber, and her grip on her son increased. After a moment of realization, she looked up to Tony with a pained face, making him do a double-take.

"Are you OK?"

She shook her head, rocking Robert in her arms as if her sanity depended on it. "Do you…do you think they had children of their own?"

Tony shifted a fussy Gwyneth to rest on his chest, her face leaning on his right shoulder as he patted her back. He looked away from Pepper, his eyes showing he was trying to make sense of her seemingly random question.

"Babe, I'm not sure I follow."

"The three of them. Do you think I left some kids without a father?"

"Oh," was his intelligent response. He had not thought about the possibility that the Extremis soldiers might have had a family to support; a family that would never know why the men did not return home.

Tony opened his mouth to retort, but closed it when he realized there was nothing he could tell her to make her feel less guilty. Usually, the men he had killed were already extremely bad men; bad men that had probably not cared to have a family of their own. He was not certain he could make a similar claim for Extremis soldiers around the globe.

The nursery room in Stark mansion remained quiet for a while.

xxxXXXxxx

The meditation room was dark and small, and devoid of actual furniture. Bruce had insisted only a couple of comfortable cushions were available, and the only lighting available came from flickering candles in every corner of the square-shaped room. Anyone who knew Banner and Banner only, would have never guessed such a mellow individual turned into a strong, angry, green wrecking machine.

"What's bothering you, Pepper? I can sense your discomfort all the way over here."

Pepper sighed, opening her eyes and making peace with the fact she would not be able to meditate today. Bruce had been extremely patient with her, and so far she had learned to channel her heightened emotions while under control of the Extremis toward her enemies rather than any moving object. However, forcing her mind and body to aim at one specific target meant the poor bastard(s) would not live to tell the tale.

"Do you remember the first time you took someone's life?" she asked him, knowing Bruce would understand what it meant to lose control of your actions only to later regret doing them.

Bruce opened his eyes and stared at Pepper's face. He knew why she was asking the question, and hoped he could provide some sort of help to the rookie hero.

"I actually don't," he admitted. "But I remember reading all about it in the news the next day."

"Did the person deserve it?"

"I don't know. I don't think any of us can make that call."

"How did you…? I mean, how long did it take you to…?" she finished with a loud sigh.

Knowing there would not be much meditation today, Banner turned around on his cushion so that he could face her. She mirrored his stance, waiting for his pearls of wisdom to shed some light on her dark thoughts.

"I don't think the experience is the same for everyone, so I don't know how much my advice can help. But I do know you and I share something the other Avengers don't have to deal with when it comes to taking lives."

"What is that?"

"Our anger is what drives us to kill. For them, it's a matter of surviving or saving someone they love. Part of us also uses the same reasoning when the time comes, but our anger drives most of the instinct to kill."

Pepper hung her head, remembering how her only thought when she had seen the two Extremis soldiers approaching Tony had been to kill them. Her images of the situation were distorted to her, as if she had not been entirely aware of what she was doing until it was done. She remembered Iron Man's outline, and the outline of the soldiers, but her surroundings were not important to her until she needed them to exterminate the men.

"This is not fair," she said staring at her hands and the power within them. "I didn't ask for this. I don't want it."

Bruce smirked, knowing damn well what Pepper was going through. He held out his hands to her, and she took them gladly, the force she grabbed them with being the only thing that kept her from breaking apart in front of the bright man.

"You know, Pepper. I felt the same way once, and I envied anyone who was able to control a superhuman ability to change the world. But, someone told me something that made me change my view of the other guy."

"What did he say?"

"This person told me that what I had –the other guy, was a terrible privilege, and that the Hulk saved my life, so that I could find what my purpose was."

"Bruce, did you find it, your purpose?"

"Right now, it's to help you overcome the obstacles your power places on your life. Tomorrow it might be to save the world by the Avengers' side. After that, who knows?"

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life finding out why I survived the trek across the Gulf."

"And you shouldn't, Pepper. The point my friend was trying to make was that if I kept concentrating on how awful my privilege was, I'd spent the rest of my life wasting away in what if's and why's."

"So, what you're saying is that I should focus on what my purpose is now?"

"If that works for you, yes."

"Does that help make the anger disappear?"

"No, but it helps to remind you that underneath that chaos that surrounds you, you're still human at heart. Isn't that what you fear the most? Not considering yourself to be human anymore?"

Pepper thought about his question for a while, realizing he had a point. It was not that she minded the extra protection her powers provided, per se. It was more the fear that the power would take over her, making her react rather than act, behaving like a wild animal that did not discriminate between friend and foe.

"That was some good advice your friend gave you. I'd like to meet him and get to know him, if you don't mind."

Bruce chuckled, lifting himself and her from the floor. "You already do, very much so."

"Do I?"

"Yes, and if you tell him what's going through your mind, he will do anything in his power to help you too."

The smile on her face told Bruce she now knew who he was referring to, and she again felt thankful to have a second chance at life; a chance to share the rest of her days with her children, and Tony Stark.

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper rested in the break room of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, holding two digital thermometers in either closed hand. She stared at the readings rise and fall, practicing the new skill Aldrich had taught her today: controlling which parts of her body heated and which one did not.

The idea seemed stupid at first, but when he suggested the possibility of having to defend her children from danger while holding them, the concept hit home. If it came to Pepper holding one of the twins in one hand, and attacking with the other, she had to make sure the heat was used only in the hand or part of the body she was attacking with, while the hand or arm or chest that was holding onto the toddler remained at normal temperature.

Her homework for the day was to start with controlling the temperature of her hands, and then expanding the portion of the body until she was able to control at will which parts of her body steamed up and which remained at core temperature.

Staring at the clock in the room, she knew she still had an hour to wait for Tony to come out of the lab. While he worked on the Extremis cure mostly from home, he sometimes joined Pepper on her trip to the base and worked with Bruce on site. Today was one of these days.

"I can drag Tony out of the lab, if you'd like," the recognizable voice said from behind. She turned to her left and smiled at the redhead approaching her, sitting next to her.

"I just RSVP'd for the twins' party. Frank is awesome."

Pepper chuckled. "He's a godsend, Natalie. He stops by the house whenever he can, but I think it's more to ogle Tony."

Natasha snorted in a very unladylike fashion, amused with the fact that the billionaire had more options than most men. "Knowing Stark, it'd probably boost his ego to find out Frank is visiting to gawk at him."

"Don't doubt it," Pepper agreed, still staring down at her hands and watching both of them glow at the same time. "Dammit, this is hard."

"Killian's new trick?"

"Yeah, but the bastard makes sense."

"For now. His time will come, Pepper."

The two women remained silent, both staring at the fluctuating readings of the objects in Pepper's hands. Neither of them heard the archer approaching them until he was right behind them.

"Pepper, I think your party planner guy just hit on me when I was RSVP'ing. What's up with that?"

This time, both gingers laughed out loud, which did not bode well with Barton at all.

"Hey! It's not funny! How would any of you feel if another woman hit on you when you're not interested, uh?"

"Who said I wouldn't be interested, Clint?" Romanoff responded with a knowing smirk on her face.

"Let's not go there again, Nat."

"What? Go where? What did I miss?" Pepper asked, staring back and fro between Barton and Romanoff.

"Let's just say Natasha made Cap painfully aware of lesbianism in the worst way."

"Oh, poor Steve," was Pepper's reply. "Is he coming to the party, do you know?"

"As far as I know, all of us are; even Director Fury," Clint informed them.

"That's great! Oh, wait!" Pepper took out her cell phone. "Do you guys want to see Robbie walk for the first time?"

"Yes!" the two agents said in unison. Half an hour later, Tony found the three of them laughing loudly as they watched the new updates to the Tony vs. Table website Romanoff had worked on.

xxxXXXxxx

They were both spent but still tried to untangle the sheets from their bodies. Other than the deep breaths they were taking after their activities, the room was quiet. It was rare they had the opportunity to be alone like this, and after years of covering their feelings behind the umbrella of professionalism, these encounters were way overdue.

"I can't believe you didn't know Frank was hitting on you right away. It's so obvious," the ginger said.

"How the hell was I supposed to know?"

"How about the fact that you're not bad to look at?"

"Well, there's that," the brunette conceded. "But he doesn't even know what I look like."

"Your voice is enough," she teased.

He snorted as he turned on his side to face her, resting his hand on his upturned hand. "Do you want to show up to the party together…or?"

Natasha considered his offer, thinking about the pros and cons of each. Within a few hours of the setup she and Rhodey implemented on Steve and Clint, the two former partners had been called by Director Fury. They had expected further separation from the other or complete reassignment of their stations, but instead Fury had given them a long, hard stare as they told their tale before uttering one command to them.

_"Don't let it get in the way of your job,"_ he had said to them, and then they had been dismissed. They were not sure if sharing a bed was against Fury's order, but so far the work had been scarce enough to claim there was nothing their action could get in the way of.

"I don't think it would be a big deal if we showed up together. Unless of course you wanted to go by yourself."

"I've never attended a birthday party before, especially for kids. I think I might need the moral support once the damned clowns appear."

Romanoff chuckled, sharing his dislike for the painted entertainers. "Then together it is," she reassured him with a long kiss.

xxxXXXxxx

The workshop table was littered with virtual index cards, each portraying 12 different stages an Extremis 1.0, and 4 different stages an Extremis 2.0 infected human went through. So far, Tony and Bruce's studies of the virus, combined with Pepper's radar abilities had helped the three of them locate several Extremis 1.0 soldiers scattered throughout the world.

After two weeks of training non-stop, Pepper was now learning how to better pinpoint the location of soldiers, regardless of whether they called upon their powers or not, just as Aldrich had promised her she would. She was still having difficulty locating 2.0 soldiers, but she knew that skill would come to her in time.

"When will the serum be ready, Tony?"

"Not for another two weeks. We're gonna test it on Michael and Raul."

"What about Robbie and Gigi?"

"We still haven't found traces of the virus in them, but we will keep searching," he promised her.

Pepper nodded, returning her attention to the virtual map displayed on the table. Most of the 1.0 soldiers were concentrated in America, but there were others clusters located around the globe. The plan was to test the serum for stage 12, and if successful, a worldwide curing campaign would begin.

"Are you sure you want to stay behind, Tony? She asked him, referring to his declining of attending the trips.

"_I'm_ staying behind, but Iron Man is going with you guys," he answered, wondering if Pepper had forgotten the suit could be controlled from afar.

"I know, but, it's gonna be weird, not having you around."

"Yes, Pep, but I don't want to leave the kids with a nanny that long of a time. If you guys need me, I can always go there in person, but I know you and the others can handle it without me."

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and when she opened them again her index finger tapped New Zealand on the map. The image of the small island/country lit up, symbolizing the location of another infected human or humans.

As soon as her hands returned to the index cards in the middle, Tony held onto them, took them to his lips and kissed them. "Have I told you how much I love you, today?"

Pepper smiled. "No, not today."

"Well, I love you Pepper, so fucking much."

"That sounds like a lot of love, Mr. Stark."

"It is, Mrs. Stark," he said. "I'd like to show you, first hand."

Pepper bit her lip, wondering if his flirting would ever become boring to her. Even as they neared midlife stages –well, mostly him rather than her, every time he acted this way with her she felt as self-conscious as a teenager on her first date, ever.

"I will hold you to your word, sir, but not until we finish what we have here."

Tony groaned. "Come on, Pepper! It's always work first! Your job is not to harangue me anymore. Lighten up and let's go have some husband and wife time. Please?"

"Bruce needs this data tomorrow, Tony. And, if I recall correctly, you were the one who promised it would be in his inbox first thing in the morning."

"Banner is a man, with the same needs as I; he will understand."

"Perhaps, but I don't want to contribute to making a liar out of you. We're almost done, anyway, I'm sensing fewer and fewer people now," she admitted, absentmindedly taping other countries on the map as she spoke.

Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting for her to finish her task, and once she did, he immediately turned off the holograms, inciting a yelp from her.

"Tony!"

Her would-have-been complaint did not make it out of her mouth as it was effectively silenced by her husband's lips. By the time he had taken her all the way to their bedroom, she had forgotten what the heck she had wanted to complain about.

* * *

**A/N:** More much needed Pepperony for you guys, but also some Clintasha as well. Have you heard the rumors that perhaps Clintasha will not happen in the movies, and that it will be Steve/Natasha instead? What do you even call them? Stevasha? Nateve? I've got no clue. See you soon!


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8  
**

The black widow had never been one to thrive in the rainforest of the African continent, and preferred living either far up north or far down south of the large land mass, favoring drier or more common weather over the constant moisture and uncertainty of the forest. Settling down in a place that could flood your home on a daily basis was something that would drive even the ever-patient _Itsy Bitsy Spider _mad as hell.

Natasha Romanoff could have not agreed more with the little spider from which she got her assassin name every time she had to wipe the dampness off her face, just so that it would not end up in her eyes.

Her red tresses kept sticking to her forehead every time she got near her target, but the agile man kept leaping ahead of her. The moment she thought she had finally caught up to him, he would conjure a small fire that would slow her down. She knew it would be difficult for a fire to actually pick up the way it had in Mexico since the entire place was so humid, but that did not mean the possibility was not up for grabs.

Cursing herself for not bringing something, anything, to hold back her hair, she grabbed onto yet another strong tree branch and swung herself forward. Her training sessions were physically much more arduous than this game of cat and mouse, but she could not remember any training session that took the hot, wet weather into account.

As she landed back on the ground, she stopped moving just long enough to take in a deep breath and check her six before running after the evasive man. Had she remained on her landing spot for another second, she would have heard the crunching footsteps of the two soldiers behind her.

xxxXXXxxx

The archer was itching to try his new arrows which had been especially designed for the subjects he was chasing. Natasha had also been given a bullet version of the content of his arrows, but he felt his weapon of choice was far more efficient than old-fashioned ammos when it came to the stealthiness of the discharge.

Bruce and Tony had been hard at work decoding the bioengineering of the virus, allowing them to not only almost achieve the success of creating a cure for Stage 12 soldiers, but also a way to slow them down while the vaccine was found.

As opposed to their evolved counterparts –namely the 2.0 soldiers, even advanced stages of the initial virus did not work as quickly when trying to simultaneously grow back multiple limbs. This flaw had proven to be central in designing a compound similar to ice –great for fighting fire, but with the added benefit of instigating necrosis of the affected area in just seconds.

Hawkeye could not wait for his keen eyes to see the compound in action, knowing it would save him a world of energy in chasing down the sons-of-bitches, meaning they could all soon go back home.

Home; even if home was the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, cold and military as it was, it was also the place where he could finally collapse on his bed, with an equally exhausted redhead by his side. Home; where only the honestly delirious people, or ones with a death wish, dared to try to breach. Home; where he and his fiery partner could be safe. Home; a place where his mind was not in constant battle with his heart, thinking about guaranteeing Natasha her well-being by having her nearby.

His unusual thoughts were interrupted when he again spotted the two men ahead of him.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve had to admit that training with Pepper had helped him better understand the abilities of the enhanced soldiers. Even though Pepper was faster and stronger that the woman he was chasing now, he knew his experience with the original Extremis 2.0 carrier was invaluable in making this chase short and sweet.

The order they had had been given was to try and neutralize the enemy without resorting to death, a feat he knew would be achieved by taking advantage of his skill and the new high-tech gun he had been given. His plan was to immobilize the target by using his strength and handy shield, and then aim the contents of the gun to the legs of the rather attractive woman he was chasing now.

If worse came to worse, he knew a friend was close by, taking on five soldiers at a time, his growl scaring off the fauna of the rainforest surrounding a village near Salonga National Park in the region of Congo.

xxxXXXxxx

Hulk was growing inpatient, knowing he had been told smashing was not on the menu today. As much as he had wanted to slam the living shit out of the five men he was chasing on the solid grounds of the rainforest, Pepper had reminded him that his _purpose_ of the day was to gather the five of them and bring them back to the centralized location they were all to meet once their individual missions were finalized.

The Hulk did not usually listen to anything anybody said, but the back of his mind reminded him that the strawberry-blond woman had been nothing but kind to him, and he understood that at some level she and he were driven by the same passion underneath the exposed flesh, thus making him reluctantly accept that there would be no smashing until much later on.

Another exasperated roar reminded his peers that he was still up and about, and it also helped clear the path of animals that could potentially endanger or obstruct their trails.

xxxXXXxxx

From his view at the top, the landscape was beautiful, calming and inviting; at least until he had to blast another tree or burn another patch of land in an attempt to attack the three women hauling ass on the ground.

The General knew he was probably going to get an earful from the UN, as this land had been deemed a _World Heritage Site_. Director Fury had done his job of warning the Avengers they were heading into globally protected territory, but even Nick knew such appointment meant shit when it came to protecting innocent people from 17 Extremis 1.0 soldiers on the loose.

Rhodey's only consolation at this point was that it was better suiting for someone named War Machine to blast the hell out of the rainforest, than doing so under the name of the Iron Patriot. Hopefully, the U.S. of A would not be blamed for the destruction left behind.

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper chased after the man and woman she had identified as the leaders of the rebel group. Her ability to determine ranks among Extremis 1.0 soldiers was improving rather quickly, and so far her skills had helped detained at least 50 soldiers in the last three days; a fact she was proud of, if she said so herself.

However, with every moment of glory came the sacrifices, and in her case, she had not seen her kids or her husband in almost five days. Between the trip preparation, flight time, and actual fights, she had slept a total of 24 hours of the last 120, and even her amped up body was beginning to feel the drain.

_Just this one group and we're going home_, she reminded herself, knowing Fury had decided to bring them all back home for a much needed break. He hoped that the news that any Extremis soldier who was caught being out of line was being handled would spread, and such knowledge would make their chase much easier.

So far, however, it had only stirred up other rebel groups into trying to prove the Avengers were no match for their powers, until they saw one of the Avengers was an advanced version of themselves.

At that point, most of them crapped their pants, and they had not even seen the Hulk up-close, yet.

Pepper could hear the familiar sound of the repulsors near her, and it made her feel somewhat relieved knowing that Tony was close by. Even if the suit was nothing more than the outer shell of her man, the fact that some part of him was still around kept her anger in check. It also helped to know her babies were being watched by none other than their father, especially after being away from home for so long.

Then again, she did not _dare_ to imagine what she would walk into when she returned home since Tony had been working as hard as everyone else in the missions –even from afar, AND was also having to watch over the now-walking toddlers as well.

_Poor Ms. Smith._

A smile crept to her face, knowing exactly how to pay back her husband for his efforts in a way he would definitely love.

xxxXXXxxx

After making sure the twins were in the capable hands of Ms. Smith, Tony had returned to his lab, just in time to start monitoring the latest mission. His three newly installed big screens showed him everything he needed to know about the logistics of the assignment, making him feel as close to the action as he could from the comfort of his Malibu home.

The left screen showed aerial diagrams of the scene, marking the positions of each Avenger (including the empty Mark XLIII in what would become its last mission) by labeling their locations with their codenames –with the exception of Pepper who was yet to choose a superhero name for herself.

The map also showed appearing and disappearing red dots to pinpoint the location of the Extremis 1.0 soldiers, which were yet difficult to find on a map without the use of heat signals. Their presence was only obvious to the infrared device when they activated their powers, and every time the soldier turned off the heat, the dots disappeared from the map. It was difficult to rely on normal heat signals due to the vast array of animals that lived in the African rainforest, which left Tony constantly monitoring the number of red dots on the screen.

"Rhodey, your party has split," Tony said, eyeing the map as two red dots continued running in a northeast direction, and the third red dot the General had been chasing had u-turned, heading southwest. "Barton, Cap; she will intercept one of you soon."

"_Copy, Stark,"_ Hawkeye responded.

"_I've neutralized my soldier,"_ Cap interjected. _"I'll get on it, Hawk."_

"Jarvis is sending you the coordinates right now, Steve," Tony said.

"_Roger."_

The middle screen in the basement was divided into seven wide sub-views, which comprised the images relayed back to base from the miniature cameras the Avengers carried with them. Most of them showed green jungle everywhere, but Iron Man's and War Machine's showed more aerial views rather than ground sites like the rest.

"Honey, are you holding on OK?"

"_Yes, Tony, but I'm getting tired of chasing them. They're not even fighting back, but they're making it harder for me to shoot your new toy at them."_

"Patience, my Pepper. You only get two shots, max, from that gun, so be sure not to waste it."

He heard Pepper groan in frustration, and he could not help to smirk at the image of her face in his mind. Pepper liked efficiency and swiftness, two things that were never certain when hunting Extremis lackeys.

The third screen, the one on the far right, showed Tony the vital signs of each member of the group. From temperature to heart beat and everything in-between, Tony monitored any spikes of either statistics, wanting to make sure there were no casualties coming from his team. The only Avenger whose vital signs Tony didn't bother focusing on was the Hulk's, since every reading the enraged creature put out was off the charts anyway.

His eyes returned to the map screen at the exact same time one of his weather satellites relayed that the temperature of the forest was dropping, fast.

"What the hell?"

_"What is it, Stark?"_ Natasha asked, stopping and standing behind a tree to look behind her, feeling she was being followed by something or someone.

"I'm not a climatologist here but, isn't the rainforest supposed to be warm?" As soon as Tony asked the question, the numbers on the screens went wild. The map showed the clash of the high and low pressure weather systems and the temperature changes, which lead to the gust of cold wind that threw off everyone's vital readings.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve held onto his shield as the wind gust tried to make him stumble down onto the ground. He closed his eyes and prayed the target would not take advantage of the setback, but his prayers were not answered.

With a quick shake of Captain's arm, the female Extremis 1.0 soldier released herself from Steve's grip, crawling her way far from him. While still on the ground, she turned around and chopped off her frozen and dead legs, allowing them to slowly grow back as she moved away from Rogers.

"I can't see! I lost her!" uttered the soon to be Capsicle, a sentiment the rest of the Avengers shared. "Can anyone copy? Stark? What the hell is this?"

xxxXXXxxx

"Not sure," Tony answered, his eyeballs jumping from one screen to the other. "Jarvis?"

"It appears an unusual weather disturbance is forming near the site," the AI responded.

_"How long is this going to last?"_ Hawkeye inquired, sounding like he was beginning to regret wearing short-sleeves today.

"I'm not able to make a prediction. This weather pattern is unnatural for these regions."

"Jarvis…is that…?" Tony's question was left incomplete, his eyes widening with the readings of the weather satellite. His major in college had not been meteorology, but he surely knew how to read. _"Guys! _Take cover,_ now!"_

The last thing Tony heard from his team was the loud shriek of his peers and the sound of static coming from the transmitters that followed.

xxxXXXxxx

"Pepper? Pepper?!" he yelled into his wireless receiver before taking it out of his ear and throwing it on the floor. He ran to the workstation behind him and picked up his cell phone, immediately dialing Pepper's number.

"Goddammit! _Please_, answer me!"

The device did not even ring, sending his call directly to voicemail, and his mind into overdrive. "Fuck!"

"Sir, I have Director Fury on the line."

"Do you have them?" Tony immediately asked, returning his attention to the screens and rubbing his forehead with his fingers. The camera feeds were showing nothing but white noise, and the vital signs had all gone flat. The only available information Tony had was the map, which showed no locations for the Avengers, or the Extremis soldiers, but it did show a layer of ice covering the region.

_"Negative, Tony. We lost our eyes. What can you see?"_

"Nothing!" he said, pointing at the screen with an open palm as if Fury could see it. "A snow storm appeared out of fucking nowhere and I lost feed."

_"We're recalibrating our satellites, and Agent Coulson is on his way."_

"I should go, too."

_"No. Stay put. We need your brains here, Stark. You can do more for them –for her, from over here than lost in that jungle."_

Tony fought the natural urge to ignore Nick's orders, deciding the in-_Fury_-ating man was correct. His suit was still somewhere near Pepper's location, and if he was not able to get a hold of her right away, there were six other people in the vicinity that probably could.

"If I don't hear from any of them in an hour, I'm heading out."

_"Fine. Keep the lines open,"_ Fury ordered before ending the call.

Tony returned to his workstation, his fingers working almost as fast as his brain. "Jarvis, get me some visual from the suit. It was in the air, it couldn't have received much damage."

"Working on it, sir. I'm also attempting to establish communication with War Machine."

"And?"

"I will update you as soon as I have a link."

_Pepper.  
_

xxxXXXxxx

The sensation was familiar to him, but that did not make it pleasurable. He had already spent 70 years on ice, and he was sure as hell he did not want to spend another 70 seconds buried under snow.

"This is not good," the Captain mumbled, pushing his way out of the mountain of snow that had befallen him. He flailed his arms and shook his head to remove some of the snow from his body. He exhaled loudly and looked from side to side, confirming that his Extremis soldier had indeed made a run for her life.

_Dammit._

He pulled himself up from the hole he was in, having a difficult time reaching the surface. He knew of winter storms and the so-called nor'easters, but he had no idea they could occur in the middle of a jungle. Either something was terribly wrong and out of place, or what he had read about global warming on his electronic tablet was no joke.

"Stark? Romanoff? Does anyone copy?"

The usual beep of incoming and outgoing communications was gone from his receiver, prompting him to pull off his mask to be able to reach his ear. He tapped the device a few times, and again attempted to reach anyone who would respond.

"I made it, but I don't know where I am now; wind threw me over. Anyone copy?"

Silence.

He growled and took out the device for inspection. He was not sure what he was looking for, and the earpiece seemed intact, but something had clearly happened to it as the usual blue ON light was off.

He looked up to the skies, noticing the sun was starting to appear again, and he knew the snow would be gone soon if the heat returned to its previous state. With no link to S.H.I.E.L.D. or Stark, and no idea of where he was, all he could do for now was stay put and use old-fashioned yelling to find his friends.

xxxXXXxxx

The Hawk shivered under the mountains of snow above him, but his precious cargo was worth the pain. As he had caught up with the two soldiers he had been chasing, he realized their actual target had been Natasha, all along. Two seconds and two arrows later, the surrounded Widow watched as the two soldiers behind her were split in half at the waist, courtesy of the ice compound created by Banner and Stark.

The orders had been not to kill, but he was sure no one expected him to react any differently as he had, knowing Natasha needed the hand.

Then the wind and the snow hit, and Clint had jumped from his tree to land on top of Natasha, covering her body with his as much as he could. In retrospect, the chivalrous idea now seemed stupid, since Natasha had grown up in Russia –notorious for freezing weather, to which the most extreme cold season in his hometown in Iowa did not compare.

He could already feel the snow melting away and thus wetting his clothes and causing goosebumps to appear as he pushed himself up.

"Nat, are you alright?" he whispered to her.

The Black Widow began uncurling herself. The small space in which they had been caught reminded her of one of the torture/training sessions she underwent when young, and brought up within her a small sense of claustrophobia. "Yes, I just…need to stretch."

Barton read her expression like an open book, knowing the feeling she was trying to hide from him. He shook his back and head as he stood up inside the hill of snow, and offered his arm to Natasha, pulling her up to him. He took his right hand to his ear, and spoke into the cupping of his palm.

"Widow and I are alright. How's everyone else?"

The look on his face in conjunction with the fact she had not heard his voice on her own receiver told her their links were down.

"Now what?" she asked him, to which he shrugged before his eyes caught the view of tall tree a few feet away from them.

"Wanna go up?"

xxxXXXxxx

Rhodey groaned inside the suit, feeling as if he had been inside a pinball machine worked by a drunken Tony –or a frustrated Hulk. The moment his suit picked up the storm, he had tried to fly away from it. He had been successful in avoiding most of the commotion, but his suit had shut down when the ice covered its circuits, and the General had been unceremoniously dropped from the air.

"Jarvis, are you there?" Rhodes asked, knowing that without the aid of the AI, moving around in the suit while covered in snow would be difficult to do. Sadly, his question went unanswered.

"Great, _just _great!"

He lifted his left arm to manually remove the helmet. The surroundings looked nothing like they had been just moments ago, the sun even making an appearance at this point. Rhodey did his best impersonation of an upside down turtle, rocking from side to side to get up from the floor.

Once he got some traction, he rolled to his right side and pushed himself to sit up, and it was then he realized he had fallen near a creek. The water behind him was not frozen or cold at all, but the landscape in front of him was white with snow. Looking from left to right, he could appreciate the distinctive division of where the storm had reached an invisible wall, and had not been able to continue its trek toward the body of water behind him.

"This is…weird."

And making Rhodey feel that something had been weird was quite the undertaking, considering he was friends with Tony Stark.

xxxXXXxxx

The sound of someone screaming in the distance woke him up. His sense of direction had been disturbed by the sudden change in weather, but the howling of the wind had finally subsided.

Now, if only the person stopped screaming…

If there was something that Hulk hated more than not being able to smash, it was loud, obnoxious and constant sounds, especially when they did not come from his own mouth. Even though he somewhat recognized the voice approaching him, its familiarity did not warrant such disturbance in Hulk's book.

"Noise annoy Hulk!"

"Can anyone hear me?" Asked the voice once more, its owner stopping as he saw the large mountain of snow in front of him beginning to shake. The growl almost scared Steve, but he was glad to see at least one of his friends was accounted for.

xxxXXXxxx

"Sir, I have regained a partial connection with the Mark XLIII," the AI informed his master, pulling up as much data as possible on the flickering screens.

"About time!"

Only half an hour had gone by since he lost communication with the team, but to Tony it had felt like a lifetime and a half. The map was yet to show the current location of the Avengers, but the red dots representing the Extremis soldiers were slowly returning to the map screen, catching the attention of the billionaire.

"How many soldiers have resurfaced?" Tony asked, returning to the screens and staring at the camera feed for the Iron Man suit.

"Eight, sir. May I point out that one of those could be Mrs. Stark?"

"I'm hoping," was Tony's saddened response, not wanting to have to tell his grown children one day that their mother had kicked the bucket during a nice winter storm in Africa, two weeks before their first birthday. "What the fuck am I looking at, Jarvis? All I see is white!"

"It appears the lost connection between you and the suit has caused it to scattered into pieces, sir. I'm not able to determine the angle the helmet currently lays."

"Are you shitting me?"

"No, sir. I am incapable of defecating on you."

Tony groaned. "Give me stats, Jarvis. What can you pick up?"

"The temperature is rising to normal levels. It appears the weather disturbances have dissipated. Some of the weapons are offline, possibly due to the sudden change in temperature."

"Can you contact anyone?"

"I'm unable to determine connectivity capabilities until the system is completely rebooted."

"Great. Do you know how far Coulson is from them?"

"Four more hours, sir."

"Ugh!" he covered his face with his hands. "Can _anyone_ give me some good news, for fuck's sake?"

_"Tony?"_

The distinct, distant and disembodied voice made him stop his groaning. He pulled his hands from his face and stared around him to find its origin.

_"Tony, can you hear me? Something's happened…"_

"Pepper?"

_"Tony?"_

"Pepper?" he called out to her once more, his heart filling with relief and joy as he walked toward his workstation behind him.

"Where's the sound coming f –" his sentence was interrupted when he heard the distinct sound of crushing metal coming from below him. He looked down at his feet, and realized he had just stepped on the receiver he had thrown on the floor just minutes ago –which had been the source of Pepper's voice.

"NO! Son of a _bitch_!" he bellowed as he slid down to the floor, took off his shoe, and shook it to remove the pieces that had once comprised the wireless receiver. "PEPPER! JARVIS! Prepare the Mark VII for deployment!"

"Right away, sir."

Tony stood up from the floor, took off his other shoe and headed to the workstation. He desperately patted his worktable and opened his drawers, searching for the missing piece of the suit that, even though was not essential for its use, he did not want to regret not taking with him.

"Jarvis, where are my bracelets?"

"In your nightstand's drawer, in your room."

"What?" he shouted as he ran to the exit of the lab and headed upstairs. "What are they doing there?"

"You wanted to use them as handcuffs a few days ago for when you and Mrs. Stark –"

"-MUTE!" Tony commanded, not needing to hear the rest of the explanation; he now remembered why the bracelets were in their room.

He scrambled up the steps to his and Pepper's room, heading straight to his nightstand. He took out the bracelets and placed them around his wrists, u-turned, and ran back downstairs only to stop inches away from slamming onto Ms. Smith.

"Gillian, I have to go on a mission. Can you stay the night?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark, but, I think I will need your help first."

"Why, what is it? I'm kinda in a hurry here," he responded, already halfway down the steps to the basement, Gillian waiting at the top.

"It's Gigi, Mr. Stark," the caretaker said. "She's burning up."

* * *

**A/N:** DUN DUN DUN! How are you doing? I hope you guys are still interested in the story; I've seen a decline in reviews and views and/or follows, so I wonder if anyone is still reading it. If you are, I'd like your input regarding what name to use for Pepper's superhero side. I know in the comics she used to be "Rescue," but it kinda doesn't apply here no more. What do you think?


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9  
**

The scene at the California base of S.H.I.E.L.D. could have only been described as chaotic since communication had been lost with the superhero team. Agents on leave had been woken up from their slumber and ordered to report for emergency duty. The entire workforce of the agency was present and active, despite the ungodly time of the day.

"_Where _are my eyes, people? I need visual on the area!"

"We're working as fast as we can, sir," Maria Hill said to her director, her eyes scanning the incoming reports from the technicians trying to get their satellites to work again. "ETA is 15 minutes."

Fury sighed. It was nearly an hour since they had lost contact with the Avengers, and he knew that if he did not have something to show Tony in the next five minutes, Iron Man would resort to hauling his ass to Congo, even if they both knew it was not the best way to help the team.

"Hill, connect me to Stark. I need to stall him."

"Yes, sir."

xxxXXXxxx

"What do you mean burning up?" Tony asked, rushing back to the top of the stairs and making his way to the nursery. Ms. Smith followed closely behind, trying her best to explain the situation to the worried first-time dad.

"I don't think it's high enough to warrant a visit to the ER, but we do need to get her some ibuprofen and maybe a cool bath."

Tony opened up the door to the nursery and walked inside, making a beeline to Gwyneth's crib. He bent over it and picked her up in his arms, pressing his lips to her forehead to get an informal read on her fever and not liking what he felt.

"Can you get me a thermometer?"

"Yes, sir," Smith responded rushing to one of the drawers inside the room and taking out the requested tool. She walked towards Tony and placed the thermometer under the toddler's arm, not wanting to further upset her by using the most accurate method for reading a baby's temperature.

"It's OK, Honey. Daddy's here," he whispered to his daughter when the girl complained about the cold object under her arm. The little girl sniffled lightly, her eyes too tired to be kept open, but she still held onto her father's shirt with her tiny fists. "How long has she been like this?"

"About an hour or so, maybe. I put them down to sleep and left to walk Jarvis. When we returned, Gigi was breathing hard and that's when I realized she was ill."

"You said a cool bath and ibuprofen will help?" he asked, already walking out of the nursery with his daughter still in his arms, but not without sending a quick glance toward the sleeping Robert to make sure the little guy was alright, before heading to the bathroom in his room.

"Yes, if her temperature is no greater than 104ºF." Gillian responded, following him close enough for him to hear her, but distant enough to not walk into his room uninvited.

Tony took the thermometer from under the baby's arm, and was both shocked and relieved to see it read 102ºF. "What happens at 104ºF?"

"We'll need to make camp in the emergency room."

Tony pursed his lips. This just could not be happening at a worse time. The two women in his life both desperately needed him at the same time, and if it were up to him he would help them both immediately. However, Gwyneth was the one that was physically closest to him at the moment and the most vulnerable right now.

_I'm sorry, Pepper._

"Bring over the medicine," he finally said. "I'll start the bath."

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

xxxXXXxxx

"What do you mean he's _unavailable_? Did he leave? I told him to wait!"

_"No, Director Fury. Mr. Stark is currently tending to an ill Miss Gwyneth."_

Nick was taken aback by the AI's response, and for an instant he wondered if Tony would go as far as joking about his kids' health to sneak under the radar. The thought was then immediately dismissed knowing Tony would: a) not give a rat's ass if Nick knew he left for Congo or not; and, b) that not even Stark would resort to using his kids as an excuse.

"Is everything OK?"

_"For the moment, it seems he has everything under control, but we await results of a scan I have performed on Miss Gwyneth."_

"Very well. Report to him that the Quinjet is halfway to Congo, whenever you can."

_"Will do, sir."_

"Thanks, Jarvis."

_"You're welcome, Director Fury."_

Nick rubbed his forehead with his left hand, sitting back in his chair and shaking his head lightly at the reports on his screens. He thought that the greatest threat the team would ever encounter had already come from Loki, his shiny stick of death, the forsaken wormhole, and his alien army, but the preliminary results of the unprecedented winter storm that hit the Avengers seemed to suggest otherwise.

"Sir?" A troubled Maria Hill approached Fury, making him groan in anticipation of bad news.

"What now?" he barked.

It astonished Fury how his second-in-command continued to put up with his irritable disposition without so much as batting an eye. He still remembered her first week on the job, many years ago, and he had sworn the woman was gonna end up shooting his ass by week's end. By now, however, despite the strong differences in their leadership approaches, a mutual and _extremely_ silent respect between them had developed, and this wordless agreement was what had kept them working together for as long as they had.

"Our satellites have reconnected with the scene."

"And?"

"Well," she said, walking closer to Fury with a folder in her hand. "Most of the team is doing OK, but we still don't have radio communication with them. We've triangulated their locations and they are slowly recovering from the impact of the weather anomaly."

"I sense a major issue coming, Hill. Out with it."

Maria nodded, having a difficult time accepting the information herself. "It's Mrs. Stark, sir. She…"

Nick swallowed hard. "Please don't tell me I have to tell Tony he has to plan a funeral."

"We…are not sure," she responded, handing him the folder containing the latest satellite images she had just received. Nick Fury grabbed the folder, only needing two seconds of observing them to realize what Maria was trying to relay to him.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, sir. We would have expected her to recover by now. But, the location of the injuries…we can't determine…"

Nick looked down at the pictures again. "Get Coulson on the line."

Maria nodded and turned on her heel immediately, knowing damn well that 'Get Coulson on the line,' was S.H.I.E.L.D. code for 'Shit just got real.'

xxxXXXxxx

General Rhodes stood up from the still cold ground under him, feeling much more positive about his situation now that his system was restarting. He still had no link between his suit and Jarvis, but at least the arc reactor had turned back on again, making it possible for him to start the regrouping of the team.

"Does anyone copy?" he asked, tapping on the wireless receiver in his ear. "This is War Machine. Can anyone hear me?"

Three damn wireless communicators and neither of them worked.

_Just my luck._

A quick scan of his systems showed his weapons were still mostly functional, and for that he was glad. There were no heat signals close to him depicting the presence of the Extremis soldiers he had been following, but for now this was not important to him. He lifted his faceplate and took in a deep breath.

"Hello? Tash? Pepper? Clint? Cap? Bruce?"

He sighed. "That's it. Next time I'm bringing two metal cans attached with a string with me."

_"Rhodey?"_ The sudden response caught War Machine by surprise, and for a moment he wondered if he had imagined it.

"Pepper?" He remembered that Pepper's location had been directly half a mile to his left before the storm had hit, but the sound of her voice sounded as if it was coming from behind him, and very close by.

"_Rhodey! Please, help!"_

Rhodey headed toward the voice, turning around and lowering his face plate and using it to determine Pepper's location. The infrared picked up a slight increase in heat waves coming directly from in front of him, and if his calculations were correct, there were fewer than 50 feet between him and the origin of the heat wave.

"Pepper? Can you hear me?" he asked after lifting his faceplate once more.

_"Rhodey! Hurry, please! I don't know how long I can…ugh!"_

"Hold on, Pepper!" he yelled back, running as fast as he could in the suit. The thrusters still needed 30 more seconds to become operable, but based on the urgency of her voice, he doubted Pepper had that long.

A few seconds later, he found who he was looking for, but not what he had wanted to see. He froze on the spot for an instant, taking in the scene before him.

"Pepper! No!" he uttered as he ran toward his fallen friend.

xxxXXXxxx

Almost two hours had passed since the storm, and the snow was practically gone. The scorching sun had returned with a vengeance, and the jungle was even more humid than before. The Avengers had been no more than a mile away from each other, but the disorientation, heat, melting snow and the lack of communication made it difficult to regroup after the setback.

"Clint, I think we should go old-school and start yelling for someone, and stay put. I'm tired of walking around," Natasha said, resting her arm on a nearby tree, and using it to hold her weight.

Clint turned behind him to face her, and noticed how red her face was getting, almost matching her hair even, and he knew the high temperature was getting to her. Even after tearing off the sleeves from her catsuit, and using one of Barton's bow strings to hold her hair up, the Black Widow was slowly becoming a victim of extreme heat and dehydration.

"I'm sure Fury sent reinforcements when we lost signal," Hawkeye said, walking back to her. He took out a handkerchief from his back pocket and patted the sweat off her face as much as he could. "We just have to wait for them to get here, but it'd be easier for them to rescue us if we are all together. You know this, Nat."

Natasha closed her eyes, feeling some relief coming from Barton's efforts to freshen her up. When she opened them up again, he was giving his back to her, in position to give her a piggyback ride.

"You've got to be kidding, Clint. You're not carrying me anywhere."

"The hell I'm not! I'm not gonna leave you behind, and you're not passing out on me, either. So, hurry up and get your fine ass on my back, Widow."

Natasha considered walking around him and continuing their aimless trek, but she knew Clint was correct. At this point, she was so out of it that it would be faster for them to move if he carried her rather than trying to drag her along with him.

Without a word, but with a lot of grumbles and silent Russian curses, she pushed herself up onto his back. He expertly wrapped her legs with his arms, and her arms surrounded his neck.

"When I was up in that tree I saw a village not too far from here. We'll head that way and stay there. It'll be easier for the Quinjet to find us there than below these fucking trees."

Natasha nodded to him, resting her face on his back and enjoying the ride while she could.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve silently walked next to the Hulk, both of them heading to the village Steve had seen while on top of a tree the Hulk had _graciously_ thrown him onto. They had been calling the names of their teammates –more like grunting the names for Hulk, for the past half a mile, but so far neither had any luck in locating them.

"Green…bored...green…" Steve rolled his eyes for the nth time at the Hulk's impatience. He had been uttering his uninterested state since they had begun walking toward the village, and alternated his state with uttering the color of the vegetation surrounding them. At first, Steve had thought he was trying to say something more meaningful, but after a while he realized he was just trying to keep himself occupied.

"We still have a mile to go, Bruce." Steve said, wiping sweat off his brow. "Don't you think you should turn off the Hulk for now? You know, at least until we find the Extremis soldiers?"

The Green Mean Machine looked down at the Captain, his face denoting everything but agreement with his suggestion.

Cap raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, stay green," Steve shrugged. "I'm just saying it'd be less boring for Banner to walk in the middle of the jungle with nothing to do."

"You slow Hulk down."

"We can pick up the pace, if you'd like. But I rather not burn too much energy with this heat around us."

Hulk snorted. "Hulk not get tired, only angrier."

"No kidding," Steve mumbled. "If we keep up this pace, we should arrive at the village in about half an hour or so."

"Too slow," Hulk responded.

"Yeah, you said that already. Are you sure Bruce doesn't want to come out and hang around until –GAH!"

Captain's certain fall was stopped midair by Hulk's index and thumb fingers pinching the back of Steve's uniform, easily lifting him off the ground. Steve could do nothing more than to play puppet as Hulk moved him out of the way to see the familiar-looking object Steve had tripped on: Iron Man's dismantled suit.

xxxXXXxxx

After the cool bath and the ibuprofen, Gwyneth's fever had dropped one full degree. While it was not the progress Tony had expected in two full hours, he was willing to count his blessings for now. Jarvis's scan had revealed no major illnesses in her body, but a minor stomach infection was present. A quick call to the pediatrician and a run to the pharmacy by Ms. Smith was all that was needed to begin treatment for the baby girl.

Trusting Ms. Smith to oversee the recovery of his daughter, Tony was just now returning to his lab. He had not heard from Fury, or anyone for that matter, and he could only hope that no news meant good news, just as the old saying went.

"Jarvis, how much longer until Gigi's temperature is back to normal?" Tony asked, rubbing his face with his hands as he sat in his chair in front of his workstation, wondering when the last time he had used his bed was.

"My calculations estimate she will recover by morning."

"Tomorrow? OK, that's fine, I guess." He said, staring at his watch and noting it was almost three in the morning of _tomorrow_.

"Indeed. Agent Coulson is an hour away from his destination."

"Any word on the team?"

"Not yet, but our satellite has been recalibrated, sir. I am working on finding their locations as we speak."

Tony nodded. The basement was quiet for some time while Jarvis ran diagnostics and Tony weighed his options. He stared at the ready Mark VII in front of him, but the knowledge that his daughter was ill prevented him from suiting up and leaving, at least not until he was certain her temperature was back to normal. His eyes then darted to the still empty screen where his teams' vital readings had once been displayed, which only served to remind him of Pepper's words.

_"Tony, can you hear me? Something's happened…"_

_Pepper._

Tony covered his face with his hands for the millionth time today, taking in deep breaths to keep him from losing it. He was torn between his duty as a father and his duty as a husband, and for the first time in his life, Tony Stark did not know what to do.

The silence in the room was suddenly interrupted by the sound of feedback, followed by a familiar voice._ "Stark? Are you there? How does this even work?"_

The billionaire straightened out his back, looking around him to find the source of the voice, and looking under him to make sure he did not step over any other random receiver he might have dropped earlier.

_"Give to Hulk!"_

_"No, wait! Let me try it again!"_

_"HULK ANGRY!"_

_"Dammit, Bruce! Can't you just wait a moment?"_

_"AARRGGHH!"_

Tony's eyes darted to the live feed of the Iron Man camera and was glad to see the upside down view of Steve's face.

_Yes._

"Jarvis, can they hear me?"

"Connecting now."

"Steve? Can you hear me?" He waited for a response as he heard the scuffling between the two friends.

_"Wait, Bruce! I can hear something. Tony, is that you?"_

"No, it's your grandma!" Tony responded, letting his arms fall and hit the sides of his body in frustration. "Of course it's me! What the hell happened?"

_"Snow storm smashed into us out of nowhere,"_

"_SMASH!"_

"_No, wait! Not now!" _Steve said to an anxious Hulk. Once he heard the annoyed snarl coming from the creature, Steve shook his head and returned his attention to the helmet in his hands._ "Storm's gone now. I'm with Bruce-"_

_"HULK!"_

_"-Hulk,"_ Steve corrected himself._ "Do you have visual on the others?"_

"Jarvis?"

"I have located Hawkeye and Black Widow, moving in a northwest direction, about five miles ahead of you, Captain."

_"Where are they heading?" _Steve asked, finally flipping over the helmet so that the image was right side up.

"Radar shows a village is ahead. My guess is that they are heading to open land," the AI provided.

"Fury sent a Quinjet to get you guys out of there," Tony said, pulling up the map of the village and its surroundings on his screen as Jarvis began labeling the current positions of the Avengers he had found so far.

_"That's what we figured. We're both heading to the village, too."_

"Coulson will be there in less than an hour. I'll give him the coordinates of the village so that he can meet you there," Tony said, frowning when he saw Pepper and Rhodey were still unaccounted for.

_"Copy. What do we do with your suit? I almost smashed into it."_

_"SMASH!"_

_"No! No smash!"_

Tony rolled his eyes as he heard the shuffling and argument between Steve and Hulk. "Dammit, Rogers! Would you just please stop saying 'smash'? You're getting him all riled up!"

_"Yes, sorry!"_ Steve said, protecting the helmet as much as he could from Hulk. _"So, your suit?"_

Tony sighed. "Yeah, I can't seem to be able to link up to it from here, or at least not enough to put it back together." Tony responded as he typed override codes that were not functioning.

_"Do we just leave it here, then?"_

"Actually, I need you to reboot it, manually," Tony said, picking up the Remote Optical Interface from his desk and putting it on his right eye. "I don't have visual via the optical interface. A manual reconfiguration and reboot can solve the wireless port connectivity problem."

Steve's face via the live feed showed rapid blinking and an aggravated face. _"I've got no idea what you just said."_

Tony sighed. "Right. Uhm, Bruce…do you mind, uh, changing back?"

_"HULK!"_

"I'll take that as a no," Tony said, wondering why it was his luck that it had been a behemoth and an old man who find his suit.

xxxXXXxxx

Rhodey kneeled down next to Pepper, having terrible flashbacks of the last time he had knelt before her like this. Last time, she had been on the brink of starvation, and many miles away from home. This time, she was again numerous miles away from home, but he would have preferred her to be on the brink of starvation once more rather than on the brink of actual death.

"How did this happen, Pepper?"

Pepper coughed loudly, tears of pain and fear streaming down her face. "I was about to immobilize the two soldiers I was chasing when the storm hit. One of them smacked back the two syringes and the wind sent them my way."

Rhodey shook his head, damning the ill-timed weather disturbance and his own inability to help her. "Shit, Pepper. What can I do?"

"I-I don't know, Rhodey," the visibly scared woman said, feeling as if every breath would be her last. Rhodey felt his own tears come to his eyes now, pondering if this was the last time he would speak to her, but not yet giving up on the chance that he could still save her life.

_I can't fail her; I can't fail Tony._

The modified ice compound was specifically designed to be used in non-life threatening areas of the body. The necrosis the compound caused was fast-acting, and almost criminally precise. While its effects were only limited to the area the ice compound affected, a well-placed shot could mean the end of the victim's existence.

Such was the case with Pepper now, giving the impression that she was on borrowed time.

The blast of the syringes had landed on the left side of her body. The majority of her left leg was covered in the compound, and Rhodey could see the blackness of some of her dead skin through the ice, and the ember specks of the virus trying to keep its host alive. Ending above the junction of her leg and her hip, and starting on her face, the compound was attempting to eat up her skin and vital organs, traveling from her left cheekbone down to half her throat, her left arm, her chest, and her hip.

Had the damage only been superficial, neither Rhodey nor Pepper would have been concerned with her state, especially since the compound had been designed for soldiers weaker than her. It was, however, the fact that the necrosis was trying to reach her aorta, her lungs and her heart, that made the situation even more daring than foreseen.

In fact, as ironic to her as it was, the only thing keeping her alive so far was the technique Killian had recently taught her: selective use of the Extremis. By keeping the part of her body that was unaffected by the ice inactive of the virus, she was concentrating all her energy in keeping the necrosis from reaching any of the organs without which it would become impossible for her to remain alive.

She had been putting all her efforts in fighting the necrosis for hours now, and her strength and hope were beginning to die along with her body. "Rhodey, I'm so tired. I can't keep this up."

"Not an option, Pepper. Just hold on for us, for Tony, OK? I'm sure he and Fury are looking for us."

Pepper nodded. "I know. I spoke to Tony after the storm disappeared, but something happened with the link before I could tell him, and I haven't been able to connect with him again. Can you…?"

Rhodey shook his head. "My wireless communicator is busted, too, and I can't connect with Jarvis. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," she said with a smile that had been meant to help Rhodey feel better, but she could see it had done the quite the opposite when he held onto her right hand and his face fell.

"Pepper, there must be something that we can do. I can't…Tony…he'll…"

"He won't know. Don't tell him what happened… please. Tell him the soldiers got me. Tell him that you never found me, tell him…"

_Tell him anything but that his weapon killed me, _was the thought he knew she was trying to express.

He could not blame her for trying to hide the truth from Tony; they both knew him too well. If Tony ever knew that his creation had been her demise…

Rhodey did not want to imagine what the knowledge of such would do to the billionaire.

Pepper squeezed Rhodey's hand tightly, causing Rhodey's mind to return to reality only to see her smile fade, and her eyes close in defeat.

* * *

**A/N:** OMG! Drama, much? Not really; just getting started. Thank you for your feedback and suggestions for Pepper's name. I have my top three in my head now, but I will wait for a few more chapters to see if anyone comes up with something else. How do you like this chapter? What do you think I will come up with next?


	11. Chapter 10

**FYI: **I went back to chapters 8-9 and made some adjustments. Nothing major; just added some more descriptions and fixed some boo-boos.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Twenty minutes after Tony had guided Steve on how to reboot his suit, the genius was feeling the lost sense of control finally returning to him. With Coulson only half an hour away from his destination and the Iron Man suit's system restored, he felt even closer to finding his wife and getting them all the fuck out the jungle and into the safety of their California home.

Next time, no matter what, he was personally attending the missions with her and not just as an empty suit of armor either. As much as it pained him to leave his kids behind, Ms. Smith had proven to be effective in taking care of the little twins, and he was certain Pepper would agree that his presence would be needed in Extremis soldiers corralling missions until testing of the virus's vaccine began.

And, even at that point, she was _not_ leaving his sight.

"Is it working now?" Steve asked Iron Man as it began piecing itself together; giving way to the form the Avengers were accustomed to seeing.

"Yeah, I think I'm back online," Tony's voice said through the speaker of the helmet as he performed a quick scan of the surfaces of the suit. Once he checked his flight stabilizers were up and running, his only thought drove his acts. "Can you guys find your way to the village? I gotta find Pep."

Steve nodded to him, understanding the amount of desperation that was befalling the usually carefree man. If there was something the Avengers had learned about the seemingly selfish Tony Stark, it was that Pepper Potts-Stark was the one mainstay he could not live without.

"We'll meet you there, Tony."

"If you find her first…"

"We'll holler."

With a final grateful nod, the recognizable sound of the repulsors and thrusters starting up was the last thing Steve and Hulk heard before Tony took to the skies.

xxxXXXxxx

Natasha held onto the side of a tree, heaving out the protein bar she had eaten before arriving to Congo. She was not certain what was happening to her, but her body was nearing complete shutdown. She did not know how Clint was still up and about as energetic as ever, seeing he had been deprived of rest as much as she had during these week-long missions.

When she finally stopped throwing up, Clint handed her his handkerchief once more. She eyed the delicate piece she knew belonged to Barton's grandmother, not wanting to tarnish the heirloom with disgusting vomit.

"It can be washed, take it," the archer offered as if reading her thoughts.

Her eyes remained on the cloth for one more second; eyeing it with regret as she finally accepted it, and wiped her mouth clean. She folded the handkerchief in half and placed it inside one of her pockets, making a mental note to not return it to Clint until she was sure the item was completely sanitized by the most delicate means possible.

"How much farther until we get there?"

"Two, maybe three, miles?"

She nodded, agreeing with his estimation. "I can walk the rest of the way; give your back a break," she said, using the back of her hand to remove what she hoped was nothing but plain sweat from her face.

"Are you sure? I've carried heavier things than you," he asked with a lopsided smile, but internally being unreasonably distressed with the possibility that his –_girlfriend_,_ (_perhaps) was hiding a more ominous disease behind her almost stoic façade.

"Yeah, I'll be alright as long as," she cut her statement short as her ears picked up a familiar sound "…uh…do you hear that?"

Both assassins became eerily quiet attempting to identify the sound approaching them. The hum grew louder as it flew above them, and with the same swiftness it had grown closer, it disappeared in the direction they were heading.

"Rhodey or Tony?" she finally asked once the natural sounds of the jungle were the only ones that remained.

"Not sure. Maybe heading to the village, too?"

"Let's hurry it up."

xxxXXXxxx

The infrared had picked up several heat signals lurking below him as he flew above the dense jungle, but it had not been until Jarvis had picked up the location of the GPS of War Machine next to a very radiant heat source that Tony felt some sort of relief, even though he felt his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

_I'm almost there, Pep._

The tall trees ended abruptly ahead of him, and the clustered panorama was replaced with one of open land made by a large mass of water. He noted the village was less than three miles away from Rhodey's current location, and he could only hope Pepper was as close to the landing site as his friend was.

As he approached the location Jarvis had marked for him, his eyes became set on the scene before him and made him gasp. He did not allow his brain to connect all the dots, or rather his heart reacted faster than his mind, and before he knew it he was flying down at neck-breaking speed. The only thought in his mind was saving the screaming Pepper from Rhodey's repulsor attack.

xxxXXXxxx

Hulk was tired of falling behind, and he was no longer willing to walk next to the slow Steve. The angry man's solution to his predicament was to place Steve under his arm and run like hell toward the direction of the village, despite the Captain's attempts at slowing him down.

He ran for less than a minute, and just when Steve was certain he was going to throw up, Banner stopped, dropping his cargo onto the ground without so much as a warning or second thought.

"Hey, what the hell, Bruce?" Rogers complained as he stood up, picking off stubborn leaves from his suit and hair. "Why did we…oh, my God…It can't be…"

Steve took a tentative step toward the wreck before them, an action mirrored by the Hulk. Both man and monster stared at each other, wondering and fearing the true meaning of their finding: just a few feet away from them lay the still burning remains of the Quinjet.

xxxXXXxxx

The work had to be precise, fucking surgeon-precise, or he would only assist in speeding up Pepper's demise. She had been against the idea at first –pain and tiredness speaking for her, but after being reminded that she still had a long life ahead of her, and that her kids and Tony would surely miss her presence, she agreed to give Rhodey's suggestion a try.

Even with the immense pain she was feeling as Rhodey burned through her skin, she could not help but admire Bruce's and Tony's handiwork. The compound was beautifully designed, and she could only imagine how much more pain a regular Extremis soldier would feel if she herself was having to hyperventilate to keep her from passing out.

So far, Rhodey had removed a good chunk of her hip, making sure to cauterize the skin before she grew back the destroyed body part. Replacing the dead skin was not as easy as it would have been under different circumstances, as she had to grow back enough organs and tissue to keep her bodily functions intact, but not enough as to connect with the other dead parts of her body and spreading the damage again.

"I'm almost done chopping off your leg, Pepper. Are you ready to grow it back?"

"Yes, I am…UGH! SHIT!" she moaned as she felt the ray crack her femur bone in half. She did not know if it was all in her head, or if the ice compound had an unknown side-effect of heightening discomfort, but replacing body parts had never hurt her so severely, or at all.

Even with his current encouraging and calming demeanor, Rhodey was sweating bullets. He had never before had to use his hand repulsors in this way –he had not even considered the possibility; they had just not been designed to carefully cut through skin and bones, and he wished he could just hurry up the amputation process if for no other reason than to reduce the agony for his friend lying below him.

"Let's work together, Pepper," General Rhodes said as the repulsor ray approached the end of its road. "Three… two… ARGH!"

The General's countdown was interrupted when he felt his body fly over Pepper's and skid on the wet ground. Before he could make sense of what had hit him, he found himself being lifted from the ground only to be tossed against a tree. In the blink of an eye, Iron Man's left hand was crushing Rhodey's neck, pinning him to the trunk and aiming his right-hand repulsor to James's unprotected face.

"Tony? _What_ the _fuck_ are you doing?" Rhodes asked, feeling the constriction on his throat growing stronger and wondering when had Iron Man become stronger than War Machine. The billionaire, however, was blind with rage, his only thought being saving Pepper's life from whomever or whatever threatened it. "Tony, man…I can't…breathe…"

"TONY! Listen to me!" the woman near them said. "Stop! STOP IT! _TONY!_"

If Tony had been physically present, Rhodey knew exactly what expression he would have seen on his face the moment his deathly grip subsided. The suit remained motionless for a moment and James took this opportunity to slide himself from between Iron Man and the tree. He then bent forward, placing his hands on his knees as he took in deep breaths and swallowed hard to make sure his throat was still working. He looked back over his shoulder to stare at the still shocked Iron Man, shaking his head in disapproval.

"I don't have time for this shit, Stark. Why don't you help me with Pepper?"

The sound of her name shook away his stupor. He turned around and follow Rhodey's path with his eyes, and it was then that he realized the severity of her situation.

"Pepper, Honey, no…"

He walked up to her, kneeling down on her right side and facing her, his back against the direction of the village. Her eyes were filled with tears that cascaded down her cheeks, and he could identify chunks of ice on the ground near her that he was certain had once been attached to her body. The smell of burning flesh was not at all lost to his olfactory sensors, and it only made his stomach flip.

"God! Pepper, how?" was all he could ask, even though the details did not matter at this point.

"Let's leave that for later, alright?" Rhodey interrupted as he began cutting the last inch of leg off her. "She needs help, Tony, fast. She's been fighting the necrosis since the storm. Get it together, alright?"

_Four hours_, was Tony's single thought. For more than four hours Pepper had been trying to overcome the effects of the weapon he had created to protect her, and he had not even been there to prevent the obvious backfire. Not for the first time, however, one of his weapons had placed her in harm's way.

He winced as he heard her scream when Rhodey pulled the chunk of dead leg off her. For some reason, the compound was making it difficult for her dead cells to detach from her healthy ones, leaving James with no option but to pull as hard as he could.

Tony felt as useless as he had felt when he had let her fall to her apparent death back at the oil rig. Neither he nor Bruce had bothered to devise a compound to counteract the effects of the Black Ice, and it now seemed as the stupidest oversight of his life.

"I'm sorry, Pepper. I'm sorry I wasn't here with you," he told her, holding onto her right hand and wishing he could touch her bare skin with his. She tightened her grip on his, screaming as she worked to regrow her left leg and attach it to her cured hip.

"You owe me…a _month_…of attending meetings, Stark."

Tony swallowed hard, wanting to find humor in the situation, but failing to do so.

"Yes, baby. Whatever you want, just…hold on…" he told her and he meant it, fearing this would turn out to be the last time they ever spoke again, and not wanting one of their joking banters to become the final memory of her.

The again, bantering was better than watching her plummet to her death.

_Pep…you gotta let go, now…I'll catch you, I promise…_

The words he had spoken to her back then still burned his skin; they reminded him that he had uttered a promise he had not been able to keep. Here he was, more than a year later, keeping from stating them again even though right now words were all he had to offer. There was nothing else he could do for her, and he did not trust himself to do Rhodey's task.

As soon as Pepper's leg and hip returned to normal, Rhodey returned his attention to his chore. "Alright, Pepper. How are we doing this now?"

She inhaled in heaps, staring down at her torso and arm, or as much as she could with half her throat and face covered in Black Ice. She detached her right hand from Tony's, giving him a reassuring smile before she began pointing at the path she wanted Rhodey to follow.

"Start where the hip's still dead and cut everything except the throat, face and near the heart," she said as her pointing finger avoided the vital areas. "Go around them, and we'll see what's next after that."

"Are you sure?" The General asked, sparing Iron Man a glance.

"Yes, and hurry up."

"What? Why?" Tony asked, fearing she was about to tell him her heart was getting close to failing her.

"Because," she began, pointing behind them with her right hand, "The soldiers are coming this way, _fast_."

xxxXXXxxx

The flames were intense, and if anyone had survived the crash, Steve knew they did not survive the inferno. Even after Hulk's attempts at putting out the fire, the charred remains had no heads or tails to them. The Quinjet was nothing more than a pile of crap, surrounded by even more unrecognizable crap.

"How did we not hear it crash?" The Captain asked aloud, looking up to the blue skies. He knew they could have not been too far from where the craft had landed, so he could not explain the lack of an explosion sound alerting them of the tragedy, or least the whistling of the fall.

"Bruce, let's hurry up to the village," Rogers said dejectedly. "I don't think we can do much here."

The gamma-ray born hero, however, remained silent and unmoving, not reacting at all to the Avengers leader's orders, causing Rogers to walk closer to him and wave his hand as close to Hulk's face as he could.

"Hulk, did you hear me?"

Hulk sniffed loudly before a menacing smirk plastered on his face.

"Smash."

xxxXXXxxx

"How close are they?"

"Two miles, maybe less," Pepper told her husband, who was now getting up from the ground and stood a few feet away from her head. He aimed his repulsors in the direction Pepper had pointed, ready to blast the shit out of any soldier who dared to come near her.

Rhodey continued his laser surgery, carefully avoiding the areas Pepper had listed for him.

"One mile," she said between clenched teeth, shutting her eyes and trying to keep her screams from coming out for the sake of Tony's sanity.

"I can see them," Tony said, zeroing on his targets.

"500 feet."

"Save it, babe. I've got…_them_? Oh, SHIT!"

Tony's panicked tone made Rhodey stop the amputation of Pepper's arm and turn to where Iron Man stood. The empty armor took a step back, but did not lower his beaming repulsors as if measuring his chances against the incoming attack. The initial handful of approaching Extremis soldiers were now more than the 17 they had been originally chasing, nearing three dozen in total.

"Pepper! Rhodey! Get out of the way!" he yelled as he abandoned his plan of blowing up anyone for the more prudent plan of not being in the path of the trampling army. It was not just that the grown group was approaching them at a fast pace that had startled him into retreat, but it was the predator that was chasing the soldiers that scared him the most.

"Up!" was Tony's only order as he picked up Pepper in his arms and lifted his body above the ground with a confused War Machine close behind. From their view at the top, they saw the insane-looking heated-up soldiers burning down everything in their path in an effort to stop the raging beast attempting to smash the hell out of them.

"ARRGGGHHH!"

The loud roar scared off the nearby resting birds, which immediately flew for their lives away from the trees. Hulk's figure crushed the landscape below them as he followed the Extremis soldiers to the village nearby. In a matter of seconds the mob was gone, leaving behind a path of destruction worthy of the strongest member of the Avengers.

"Where the hell did they come from?" Rhodey asked as he slowly descended back to land. Iron Man followed Rhodey's lead, bringing down with him a shocked Pepper Potts-Stark. Neither man said anything for an instant until their similar thoughts were uttered by their female counterpart.

"Tony, put me down."

He complied immediately, eyeing her up and down and noticing her eyes were now glowing. This could only mean she was also concerned about the well-being of the villagers and the memories of the Mexican Peninsula were overriding her current pain.

"Maybe you should stay behind," Tony said, not really realizing that he had said it out loud until Pepper shook her head.

"We're not having a repeat," she answered knowing she did not have to clarify her statement. She looked down at her dangling dead arm, and without indecision she pulled it off and threw it on the ground.

As she began her trek toward the village –or at least following the path the Hulk had left behind, her left arm was already growing back again at a much faster rate than her leg had. The two suited-up Avengers noted, however, that despite her angry pose, Pepper was still breathing hard. The necrosis was still trying to travel to her heart and throat, and she was still fighting to keep it at bay.

For him it had been shrapnel, for her it was dead cells, both with his name all over it.

The irony of it all.

"Pepper, stop. I'm sorry but I can't let you go fight like this."

Pepper's eyebrows rose. She had not expected Rhodey to be the one to try and stop her from performing her duty, but his serious face and tone told her he was willing to try. "I've just spent an hour chopping you to pieces to save you. I'm not letting your pain go to waste."

"Rhodey, I…" she began, but had nothing to say. "I can't just…"

The awkward conversation was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Star Spangled Man with a Plan, tripping over his feet and landing face-first on the wet ground just a few feet from where the trio stood.

"Steve!"

"Cap!" Rhodey called out to him, walking near him and crouching beside the man. "Are you alright?"

The only response Steve could utter was nodding while his face still kissed the ground and raising his left arm to give them a thumbs-up. Tony's snicker was not far behind the gesture, and Pepper scolded her husband by narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm not even sorry, Pep," he admitted. "Aren't you supposed to be a super soldier or some shit like that?" he added, not wanting to pass on the opportunity to make fun of Steve's despair.

Steve moved his head to the side, facing them with angry eyes, but not able to do much else. "When was the last time _you_ chased after the Hulk?"

"I'd fly all over his ass…"

"On FOOT!"

Tony opened his mouth to retort, but Pepper's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Tony, piggyback riding on poor Happy does NOT count."

"You're no fun," he mumbled. "Anyway, we have a village to save, Cap. You coming?"

Steve groaned, feeling every muscle in his body screaming in pain. "I'll…be right behind you…"

"You sure?" Rhodey asked.

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

"Last time I gave you a minute I was almost shredded to pieces by one of the Hellicarrier's engines," Tony chided.

"I hate you, Stark."

"Get in line," Tony responded before turning around, grabbing Pepper by the arm and pulling her to the side. Behind them, Rhodey checked on a slowly recovering Steve, giving the couple some much needed privacy.

"Look, I know I can't stop you from going there, but please, Pepper, don't do something stupid, OK?" he pleaded with her, holding her face with his suit's armored hands, carefully avoiding placing any pressure on the dead part of her face.

"Tony, you know how this goes. Do you really think I did this for fun?" she asked, pointing to her marred face. She knew once they were back to California she and Tony could get her fixed, but at this point they did not know how long it would take to get back home, and every second her body battled the necrosis it became weaker and weaker.

"Your heart is not at its best. If I see you pushing yourself too hard, I'm dragging you out of there, got it? I'm serious, Pepper. I'm not losing you again."

Pepper closed her eyes, knowing she could not guarantee anything to him. It was moments like these that she understood why he risked his life every day as Iron Man. "Let's go."

Rhodey stood up from the ground when he heard her, and ran toward the already fleeing couple. War Machine and Iron Man took to the skies, and Pepper ran on the ground below them.

"Tony?" Rhodey called out to his friend.

"Yeah?"

"We're on our own. Tell Fury the Quinjet didn't make it."

Silence was the only answer Rhodey received from Iron Man.

xxxXXXxxx

"What do you mean we lost contact with Coulson?" Fury asked his second-in-command, clearly upset at the devastating news. "Is the rainforest the new motherfucking Bermuda Triangle?"

"There was no weather anomaly accompanied with the loss of communication, sir. The Quinjet simply dropped off the radar."

"Hill, how the hell does a jet that big just drop off the radar? Get me some answers, and get me Stark on the line."

xxxXXXxxx

Following the growl of the Hulk and the sound of repulsors, Black Widow and Hawkeye found themselves reaching the edge of the village. By the time they had joined the superhero party, Steve, Rhodey, Pepper, Tony and Hulk were already ambushing the new 36 Extremis 1.0 soldiers that had appeared, standing between the human furnaces and the people clumping together by their huts.

Without needing to wait for an invitation, the two S.H.I.E.L.D. members ran toward the middle of the village where a circle of Avengers surrounded the Extremis group, keeping them from reaching the villagers who stood around them. The natives held desperately onto their young ones and watched in confusion as the dysfunctional team of heroes held their ground against the fiery, desperate group.

"Had a nice trek, Widow? You look like shit," Tony asked her when she neared the group, pulling her pistol from its holster. With two more members, the team adjusted the positions in the circle, making it possible to narrow the exits that stood between them.

"So, what's the plan?" Hawkeye asked, having already pulled his bow from his back and aiming one of his arrows at the anxious soldiers.

"This is the plan," the Captain retorted. "The only backup that was on its way went up in flames just a while ago," he added, conveniently leaving out the part that Agent Coulson might have gone down with the jet.

Natasha loaded her gun with the Black Ice bullets, understanding they were on their own. She observed their current positions, attempting to come up with a better plan than just spending the rest of the night staring down the soldiers clumped in the middle.

To her left she had Tony, and to her right she had Hawkeye. To Clint's right was Rhodey, and next to Rhodey was a beat-up Steve. To Steve's right stood the Hulk, cracking his knuckles and smacking his chest in barely contained excitement at having the opportunity to kick some ass. To Hulk's right –and Tony's left, stood Pepper, who looked as if she was about to pass out, constantly taking her right hand to hold her left breastbone.

"I've got 8 rounds of the compound. What do you have, Clint?" the Widow asked, knowing that the stakes were too high and they would be left with no choice but to kill their targets after all.

"I've got a dozen," the archer responded as he double-counted the male and female furnaces looking for a way out.

"I still have my four," Tony said.

"I've got two," Rhodey added.

"I've got one," Steve said.

"I've lost mine," Pepper said. "But, I think Hulk and I can take the rest of them barehanded. Right, Bruce?"

Hulk's affirmative response came in the form of a grunt.

"Call it, Steve," Rhodey said, loading up his two ammos of Black Ice, making sure he aimed them at the soldiers nowhere near Pepper.

"On three…"

xxxXXXxxx

_"Stark! We lost contact with Coulson. Can you see him?" _Fury's loud voice echoed off the walls in Tony's lab.

"Uh, Nick, that's like, yesterday's news. Where you've been?" Tony answered as he waited for Steve's count to finish so he could jump into action. The vital signs were still not showing on his screens, but he at least had his and Rhodey's camera feeds, and the map pinpointing the location of the village, the Avengers and the overly violent Extremis soldiers was back to life.

_"I could ask you the same thing! What's your 20?"_

"We're all accounted for, but we're gonna need some back up. _Major_ backup," Tony responded, staring at the 36 bouncing red dots on the infrared screen. The math simply did not add up: 36 Extremis soldiers against 7 Avengers protecting a village of at least 200 people behind their backs.

_"We're getting on the carrier right now and heading there. I can't afford to lose more men."_

"Yeah, next time do _that_ before -" Tony began his scolding of Fury but the image before him shut him up in the middle of his rant. He took a step forward toward the map screen, blinking rapidly just to make sure he was not being betrayed by his eyes.

_"Stark?"_

Tony ignored Fury's call.

Via the ROI he could see the Extremis soldiers beginning to cheer, throwing off Steve's countdown due to the unusual response. The other six Avengers did not know it yet, but Tony knew –could _see_, why the soldiers were chanting victory ahead of the beginning of the battle.

Tony swallowed hard, his left hand reaching over to grab Pepper's, causing the woman's head to snap to her right. Iron Man was unmoving, save for the tight grip on her hand, and it was then that she _felt_ what he was seeing on his screens.

The picture of the infrared map had changed in the blink of an eye. The Avengers, who just moments ago had had the advantage of surrounding the 36 red dots, were now surrounded themselves by at least 200 red dots slowly appearing behind them, circling them, just as they had rounded up the soldiers themselves.

The hunters had just become the hunted.

Pepper closed her eyes as she tightened her grip on Tony's hand. When she opened her eyes again, the overly familiar glint of the distinct red-orange glow of her eyes -characteristic of Extremis 2.0 soldiers, was being reflected back at her in every single pair of eyes that comprised the villagers. Her current inability to detect Extremis 2.0 soldiers was perhaps going to cost them all nothing less than their lives.

* * *

**A/N:** Damn. That's all I'm gonna say about this chapter. Thoughts? I wonder if I'm writing for myself at this point, all sadistic and such. Anyway, hope you're still enjoying the fic! Drop me a line!


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Tony, we're surrounded," Pepper said to her husband, her head moving all around them to confirm her worst fears. If she ever made it out of this alive, she was going to make sure to beat the secret to learning to detect 2.0 soldiers out of Killian's miserable body.

"Surrounded by what…_oh_…" The worrisome tone Potts had used caught the interest of the archer. Hawkeye's eyes picked up the glow of the villagers behind them. He mimicked Pepper's head movement and scanned their surroundings. With a loud exhale he made his feelings known before uttering a warning to his peers. "Guys, we've got company."

The rest of the Avengers' eyes looked left and right, slowly coming to the realization that they had been set up when they saw people dressed in Western-looking clothes emerging from the huts.

"What's the count, Stark?" Captain America asked, not sure his body would last much longer. He had been fighting non-stop and chasing the Hulk for miles. Even with his superpowers, he too needed a rest before attempting to survive a one-on-one combat with other super soldiers, and he could not imagine his team feeling any better than he.

"Jarvis' count is close to 200 red dots; doesn't include these bitches," Iron Man said as he pointed to the 1.0 soldiers in the middle, "Or Pep," he added, finally letting go of her hand but still staring at her, hoping his intentions to protect her at all costs were visible to her through his faceplate.

Pepper shook her head lightly at him, clearly reading his silent promise of giving up his life for her if it came to it, and silently begging of him to consider the possibility that she could probably withstand better against the soldiers than he could.

"So, what's the plan?" Rhodey asked anyone who would answer, his faceplate firmly in place to hide his shocked face, all the while thinking about the array of things he would probably not survive to do. The soldiers behind them did not attempt to jump them just yet, however, as if they were waiting for some unspoken order to attack at the perfect time.

"How many rounds of Black Ice do we have, total?" Tony asked.

_"Per everyone's count, twenty-seven, sir,"_ the AI chirped in via Iron Man's speakers for everyone to hear. _"May I suggest they are saved and used only if absolutely necessary?"_

"Jarvis has a point," Widow said, trying to sound as calm as she could and ignoring her now throbbing head. "Is backup on its way?"

"Fury said he's sending the cavalry via the Hellicarrier, but it's gonna take ten hours, at least." Tony responded, powering up his repulsors to ready them for the attack he knew was coming, and inciting every other Avenger to follow his lead in their own way.

"I don't think we have ten hours," Hawkeye stated, staring at the way Natasha was sweating profusely despite the cool breeze the darkening skies had brought with them.

"No, we don't," Tony agreed before nodding to Steve. Steve shrugged and shook his head back at the team before giving the only order he could think about.

"Fight your way out."

xxxXXXxxx

_Fuck. This. Shit._

"Jarvis, take control of the Mark XLIII and keep an eye on Pepper," Tony ordered, running toward the ready Mark VII. On his way to the suit, he picked up a full syringe from his workstation and stabbed his right leg with it without hesitation. After pumping its contents into his body, he then threw the empty container on the floor and stood still in front of the Mark VII as the bracelets called upon it for assembly.

"Sir, did you just -?"

"Save it, Jarvis. Make a note of the date, time and dosage."

"Yes, sir," the AI responded, almost sounding humanly concerned for his creator. "Sir, are you going to travel to the Congo?"

"Yes. Tell Miss Smith she needs to stay as long as needed, and have Happy give her a hand." The suit closed around him. "It may take the Hellicarrier four hours to get there, but I can make it in two or less."

The shortened travel timeframe came with the price of going suborbital, which would be a physical pain in the ass for him, but he had no other option if he wanted to reach Congo as fast as he could.

"But, sir, the likelihood of one more suit leveling the chances of survival for the Avengers is mathematically remote."

"I don't care, Jarvis," his robotic-sounding response came from within the suit as he headed to the ramp of the basement. "I'm _not_ losing my wife."

xxxXXXxxx

The battle cries of the heroes were echoed back at them by the Extremis soldiers. The plan of action was to get as far away from the village as possible, hopefully unscathed, while splitting up the forces of the angry furnaces and then waiting for the Hellicarrier to find them in the morning –or whenever it could. The sun was almost completely down for the day, and the bright moon was already present in the sky allowing the soldiers' glow to resemble a scene from a horror movie.

"Rhodey! Stark! Take to the skies and blast them!" came the order from the leader of the Avengers, and both suited members complied immediately. Starting with the weaker set of soldiers, War Machine and Iron Man aimed their repulsors at the scurrying bunch, following them as they tried to blend in with their more evolved brothers and sisters to save their hides.

Hulk, on the other hand, did not need any plan of attack; he was simply enjoying the fact that he was able to finally put his strength to use. Not caring for the type of soldier he fought, his fists threw punches left and right, breaking bones and tearing off limbs. He alternated his punching attacks with stepping over the mindless soldiers that tried to climb up to the beast by his muscled legs. Without anticipating it or realizing it, Hulk's dismembering of the soldiers was assisting in slowing them down while they retreated and grew back their lost body parts.

"How many more can you get, Bruce?" Rhodey asked from his flying position, challenging the monster in hopes that their chance of survival increased if Hulk kept up his good work. When Hulk's response was to throw to Rhodey a severed arm that he easily dodged, Rhodey knew better than to taunt the Green Machine. "Shutting up now."

Steve kept an eye on his team as he used his skills to his advantage over the strength and speed of the soldiers. He knew that if a handful of them tried to take him down, he would be outnumbered, so he kept jumping from one cluster of furnaces to another, avoiding getting cornered by them. He knew he could have easily ran away from the village if he wanted to, but as the leader he was not going to leave until everyone on his team left with him, even if it was all scattered in different directions.

Natasha and Hawkeye fought back-to-back, watching over the other's six, just as they always did during missions. Being in the middle of the crossfire was not new to them, but they knew that their techniques and military training were their only advantages against this enemy. A well place kick or punch from the Extremis soldiers to either of them could very well mean their painful and slow deaths.

Natasha shook her head, blinking rapidly and trying to adjust her tunneling vision. She had no idea why she was feeling progressively worse to the point the adrenaline that had helped her make the run to the village was no longer being of any assistance. She had tried hiding her declining state from her partner, but she knew better than to even pretend she was not about collapse any moment now.

"Clint," she bent her right arm behind her, grabbing the back of his shirt to get his attention. "We gotta go. We gotta find high ground and run. I'm gonna cover you and you're gonna haul ass, OK?" She knew she was not going to make it far, but if she could get Clint out of the dead zone she would feel much better about subsiding.

The archer's response was to scoff loudly as he released an exploding arrow that pierced the forehead of a soldier that was getting too close to them. His eyes never left his target as he waited for the head to explode, sending brain matter all over the place before the defeated soldier fell onto the ground. "Like I'd leave you behind. You know me better than that, Nat."

The female spy ground her teeth, whether in pain or in anger, she was not sure; she had never had trouble convincing Hawkeye to leave her to her own devices. She wanted to believe his defiant attitude was due to their current unusual circumstances, but she knew that his reluctance to separate from her ran deeper than that; all she could do right now was insist and hope he came to his senses, and quick.

"You know it's the best option, Hawk. You can climb one of those trees with your slingshot arrow and then pull me up."

"No, not gonna happen; I ain't leaving you behind, so forget about it. And give me one of your exploding bullets."

"No! What? Why?"

"Because I just shot one of them in the head and he didn't come back. And, since you haven't fired one shot since we got here, I'm assuming you're not intending on using them at all."

The Widow pursed her lips, mentally cursing him for his observation skills. Her vertigo was only getting worse; she did not dare to waste bullets when she could not even aim. Clint was right; she was not intending on using them at all. She reluctantly grabbed one of the requested bullets and handed it to him. He grabbed it and placed it inside one of his non-exploding arrowheads, immediately shooting at another soldier and piercing his brain again. As expected, the bullet reacted to the body heat and exploded a second after the arrow incrusted itself in the forehead, rendering one more soldier out for the count.

_Two down, two-hundred-something to go._

"The head!" Hawkeye screamed when his theory proved correct twice. "Shoot their fucking brains off!"

Steve heard the observation of the archer, but knew he only had so many bullets with him. Instead, Rogers' plan became to use his shield to decapitate whatever soldier he could. "Did you hear Hawkeye?" the Captain asked as he aimed his shield to the closest soldier. "Cut the heads!"

"The heads? What is this?" Tony asked as he flew closer to Pepper when he noticed she started breathing hard. "Are we trapped in a zombie movie?"

"I don't think they want to eat our brains, Tony," Pepper deadpanned, her keen hearing picking up his voice over the chaos surrounding them. She took a deep breath before continuing her deliverance on the soldiers by any means she could. It made Tony flinch to see his usually peace-loving girl using her hands to decapitate, her fists to crush skulls, and her legs imitating Widow's signature move to sever any ties between the soldier's spinal cord and their brains.

Her swift movements continued without stop until before her stood her next combatants: a little boy and a little girl.

xxxXXXxxx

Tony saw her hesitation, knowing as well as he that those two children could have been their own. The tests were yet to confirm or deny the presence of Extremis in the twins' DNA, and he could imagine Pepper's thoughts calling out to her the way they were calling out to him.

_Bastards! They're just kids!_

Tony had personally killed many men and women since the inception of his suit back in the caves, but he had never been faced with the pain of murdering children. He could not imagine himself ever feeling comfortable with the idea even if he was forced to do so to save his own life.

_I need to find a cure, I need to…_

Iron Man's thoughts were interrupted when his live feed of the battlefield went dark, much so as his screens back in the lab had done so hours ago. This time however, he was not surrounded by his basement filled with tech; he was traveling at ungodly speeds toward the scene of the war.

"Jarvis, what the hell? What happened?"

"_I've lost connection with the suit, sir."_

"Why? How?" he asked, already thinking of faster ways to reach Congo.

"_I can only assume the suit has been damaged in battle. I will attempt to reconnect."_

"Dammit! Get me satellite imagery," he spat. "Wait, no, not yet. Reduce consumption to the minimum and put everything into the thrusters. I _need_ to get there in less than an hour, J."

"_Sir, while what you request is plausible, we are not certain the effects of achieving such speeds will leave you in any condition to aid Mrs. Stark."_

"I have to try, Jarvis. I have to be there for her."

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper felt the hit in her gut, both children jumping high enough to kick her in it and sending her flying away from where she had once stood. Her hands flew to her stomach, the shock of their attack hurting more than the hit itself before her back hit the ground.

"I can't…What am I supposed to do?" she mumbled, lifting her head from the ground to stare at the incoming little soldiers. Pepper swallowed hard, wanting to close her eyes and just give up, but the scene of the two kids only served as a reminder that she had two kids of her own waiting for her back at home.

She rolled to her right side and stood up just in time to grab the two kids by their necks with either hand. She knew that without removing their heads they would just keep coming back, but she could not force herself to break their tiny necks. Instead, she threw each one as far away she could from her, knowing that the fall would not kill them but only slow them down.

She looked away from them, over her shoulder and then at the sky, expecting to see Iron Man still floating near her. When she saw only Rhodey close by and no Tony in sight, she cursed her luck at her wireless receiver surviving the winter storm thanks to the heat she emanated, but not surviving Rhodey's surgical to her.

"Rhodey!" she called as she fought her way close to War Machine. "Where's Tony?"

War Machine's head snapped left and right, only now realizing as well that the billionaire was nowhere to be found. He figured he had gotten as close to Pepper as he could without actually landing on the ground, but from his view from the top there was no sign of the eccentric man.

"I don't know, Pepper," James responded, lifting his faceplate and lowering himself to the ground as much as he could without endangering his only protection against the violent attackers. "He's probably coming up with some crazy idea to get us out of here." He responded as he took a shot at two soldiers.

"I don't know, Rhodey. He was just here."

"Don't sweat it, Pepper. I'm sure he's…Watch out!" Rhodey screamed mid-sentence when he saw the familiar small contraption coming toward Pepper. He grabbed it in his metallic hand and threw it upward as high as he could with such a hasty movement before screaming an alert to everyone around him. "GRENADE! DUCK!"

The warning and jerky attempt at redirecting the device were not enough. The single grenade exploded in the air, but it only gave way to five more that were already on the ground to explode. It was then clear that the one grenade aimed at Pepper had only served as a distraction from the rest.

"RHODEY!" Pepper screamed as she tried to grab War Machine and pull him away from the closest grenade as it exploded. When she realized there was no possibility of them running away far enough to be safe, she did the only thing she could think of.

She hugged Rhodey and turned up the heat.

xxxXXXxxx

"NO!" was all that Natasha heard before her body was tackled to the ground by Clint. The air was pushed out of her lungs when her back intercepted the solid surface underneath her. She felt Clint's arms surrounding her, pressing her close to his body so that she was almost completely enveloped by him.

"Natasha," he grunted, resting his forehead on her scalding one. "I lo-," he managed to utter before the grenade exploded near them, cutting off the last words he had wanted to say.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve's eyes widened when he saw the explosive land in front of him. He took a few steps back as his mind processed an appropriate response before running away from it. Memories of a similar situation he had walked away from returned to him, prompting him to curl up behind his shield and hope to make it out alive once more.

xxxXXXxxx

"PPPEEEPPERRR!" Tony's heart-wrenching scream could have woken the dead. Jarvis had just connected him to the images of the satellite, showing the exact moment the grenades had gone off, leaving behind nothing more than clouds of smoke. War Machine's feed had been reconnected long enough to see Pepper's face as she surrounded Rhodey with her arms and heard them both scream before the screen went dark.

"NOOOO!" he yelled as he increased his speed even more, preparing to make the trek into suborbital space, hoping to make it to his team in time, even if just to avenge them.

_Pepper, please don't die. Please, please don't leave me again._

If Tony ever wished for some unearthly force above to hear his silent prayers, now was the time.

xxxXXXxxx

The entire bridge of the Hellicarrier went silent as the images of the massive explosions displayed on the screens. Even the ever-calculating Maria Hill put her hand to her mouth in complete disbelief.

Nick Fury stared at the war zone, slightly shaking his head before lowering it and closing his eye. When he opened it again, the cloud of smoke was dissipating, the flames as bright as the night would allow them to be.

"Sir?" Hill walked toward her superior, never feeling so grateful to not have full command of the organization. "What do we do now?"

The director stole a quick glance toward his second-in-charge, silently sharing with her his unwillingness to call his next order. Maria knew what was coming, and even though the possibility that at least one of the Avengers could have made it out of the explosion was present, they all knew what it would mean to leave an entire colony of angry Extremis soldiers on the loose. Their first priority was, regardless of the status of their team, the extermination and/or containment of the carriers of the virus.

"Send the bird to deliver the package."

Maria nodded slightly and turned on her heels. She arrived at her workstation, hesitating as her finger hover over the button that would initiate Protocol 7.12.6: Operation Black Ice.

xxxXXXxxx

The sound of explosions nearby pulled him off his reverie. He had been walking toward the general direction the Quinjet had been heading before it had crashed. Had he not been pushed off the jet by his subordinates, he too would have died along with them in the din.

Apparently, neither of them wanted to see him die, again.

He cursed under his breath, a thing he hardly ever did. He was always calm and collected, and very few situations ever shocked him to the core. At this rate, however, the present situation was going to become one of those said situations, if not the one that would take the number one spot on his list.

Coulson wiped the sweat of his brow, picking up his pace as much as his battered body could. He was bleeding from his forehead and he kept tripping on stray vines on the darkened grounds. He could feel the bruises around his shoulders already forming, caused when the thick foliage abruptly stopped his parachuted descent from the Quinjet. He would have a lot to explain to Fury, especially the reason why ten perfectly trained agents thought it was more important that he survived the attack on their jet rather than them.

_I still don't even know what hit us_, he thought bitterly, remembering that one moment the jet seemed fine and the next all their equipment died, sending their mighty aircraft to its final resting place. There had been no warning, no master alarm going off, no gust of wind, no…nothing! It had been as if they had suddenly entered a secret alternate dimension where no technological equipment was allowed to work.

_Or maybe just another trap._

The explosions continued ahead of him, reminding him that he was there for a reason, and that now more than ever did all of them need all the help they could provide. He knew he did not have much to offer them and that his backpack was mostly empty of useful arsenal, but if he had to die again, he would do it helping those who had avenged him.

xxxXXXxxx

"Wait! No! Stop!" The loud voice made Maria Hill stop as she was about to press the button to start Operation Black Ice. She turned around to face Fury, thinking it had been he who had given the order, but instead saw his face looking as confused as hers.

"Sir?"

Fury's eyes turned to the man standing next to him. He had been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for a few years now, and had seemed to be a promising agent until Tony Stark had pointed out he was playing Galaga on the job. "What is it, Agent?"

"Director, there's an anomaly in the video, sir."

"Anomaly? What anomaly?" Fury asked, not wanting to sound as impatient as he felt.

The agent nodded to Fury before walking up to the video feed and rewinding the tape. He pointed to the right-hand portion of the screen and allowed the video to run its course. "Here, sir, watch what happens to the flames around here."

Fury, Maria and anyone close by stared at the scene as it was replayed several times, the last two times in slow motion when no one seemed to see what was being pointed out. It was not until then that the anomaly was clear to everyone. The flames of the explosion were merciless all around the war zone with the exception of a small piece of land on the right side of the screen. As the flames neared the location in question, they parted ways as if something was blocking their path, going around the seemingly empty patch and reuniting themselves again after only a few feet. Something or someone was cocooning itself from the fire, and Nick very much doubted it was anyone he knew.

* * *

**A/N:** *kneels and begs for forgiveness* For a moment in time I thought about deleting this story, I kid you not. I have been so darn busy I've hardly had time to breath. I mean, it's a good thing to have work, but DAMN! I hope I didn't lose you with the long wait. I'm so so so so sorry! Please don't go away! :(


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:** What do you get when you combine heartfelt reviews and three cups of coffee? A back-to-back chapter cycle from me You guys are just **awesome** and so supportive I just had to show my appreciation somehow. I don't know when I will have more time but I hope it won't be too long. Special thanks to Erik'sTrueAngel for making me cry with your review. Tears of joy, of course!

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**Chapter 12**

His senses were just now awakening, slowly and one by one, as if his body was trying to prevent the shock that would come with the realization that he was no longer where he had become unconscious. The human body had odd mechanisms like that, self-defense at its most primal of levels. The entire purpose of the beating heart, the filtering kidneys and all the other valuable organs in one's body was simply to assure one's survival as long as possible, and reproduce along the way before death finally arrived.

Death.

He had been in its grip a few times, especially rather recently. He had flirted with it and it had almost completely seduced him with its promises of eternal rest which seemed attractive to his tired physique.

Death; the final frontier, regardless of what Captains Kirk and Picard thought the final frontier truly was. Once your body succumbed to the jaws of death, no amount of human intervention would get you back. Then again, there was also the idea of one's soul, but the topic seemed too emblematic for him right now.

His ears were the first to come out of their sabbatical, sending to his brain muffled sounds of distorted, desperate voices. He had heard them before, calling his name and mixing it with medical jargon so clear he did not have to be a doctor to know he had almost died. It was now that he realized that the voices he was hearing at the moment were not really there, but they were just faint memories his mind was replaying for him to soften the blow of reality.

When the memories of the sounds dissipated, his nose took its turn to return to duty. He could not smell anything significantly heinous close to him, and he figured that it was probably a good thing. In fact, if he concentrated hard enough, he could whiff the particular scent of his room.

His room.

Back in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

In sunny, motherfucking California.

His skin asked for dibs on the next round of sensory awakening. This gave way to his muscles coming to life, and the now aware muscles gave way to pain.

_Lots_ of pain.

_Shit._

He frowned, feeling as if the Hulk had walked all over his ass and he had survived, making him wonder if anyone could even make such an outrageous claim.

He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, forcing his tear ducts to work and moisturize his dried eyeballs. He stared at the plain-looking ceiling which confirmed he was indeed back home.

_Back home…from where, _he wondered, his mind still rather foggy.

He inhaled deeply, feeling as if the extra oxygen was needed but quickly realizing the choice had been a mistake when the taste of bile made it to his mouth. He sat up on the bed, threw the covers off him and ran to the bathroom. As soon as he reached the porcelain throne, his insides insisted in becoming his outsides.

The sounds of painful and bloody regurgitation echoed in the small room, and not even the lingering scent of Natasha's body wash in his shower eased the ache.

_Nat, fuck…why isn't she in bed with me?_

Their relationship had moved faster than anyone had anticipated, and he attributed the years of friendship for it. It was rare for him to wake up in his room now without her by his side, and so was the case for her in her room.

"We can give you a pill for that, or you can do what everyone else is doing and suck it up –or, well, _throw _it up." Nick Fury said from his position by the entrance of the bathroom. He was not known for keeping guard of his recovering employees, but he felt an exception needed to be made as a sign of repent for his slow reaction to the dismal situation the Avengers had experienced in the Congo.

"Sir?" The archer asked in confusion as he stood up from the floor and a tad worried by Fury's presence in his room. He had not heard the door opening, which meant he was either too weak to hear loud sounds or Nick had been there before he woke up. Or maybe the director was just that sneaky.

Barton flushed the contents of the bowl and headed to the sink to wash his mouth and freshened up his face. Fury remained by the door, not looking as if he was interested in closing the gap between him and the groggy assassin.

"The chemical weapon we used to get you guys out of there had some nasty side-effects," Nick pointed to the toilet. "They'll wear off soon, though."

Clint rubbed his face furiously with the cold water as the partial memories of the massacre in the Congo left him with more questions than answers. He remembered being there, in the middle of it all, surrounded by two generations of Extremis soldiers of varying ages all wanting to burn him to ashes. The rescue efforts were a blur, but he could only hope that it had worked for everyone involved.

He finally shut off the faucet and grabbed the hand towel hanging from the rack. He patted dry his face as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked like shit; there was no other way of describing it. He then looked down at himself, taking note that he was wearing only a t-shirt and a pair of boxers.

"I apologize for my appearance, sir." Even if his outfit was completely justified inside his own living quarters, Hawkeye could not think of anything better to say at the moment that did not make him sound as desperately worried for his redheaded partner as he truly was. Fury had warned him and Natasha to not let their status affect their work, and at this point he feared that if he asked about her whereabouts, he would be in violation of his director's direct order, although he was not sure if it mattered that much to him at this point.

"You know I don't give a rat's ass about that. I'm just grateful I've got my team back –_mostly_."

Hawkeye covered his face with his hands, sliding them down until there was no more face to rub.

"Mostly?"

Barton did not like the way his director had emphasized the last part of his sentence; it made his stomach complain again. He threw the towel back on the rack, and after giving the reflection of his face a hurried glance to make sure he still had two eyes, two ears and all his teeth still in place, he turned to face Fury.

"Where is she?"

Yup, fuck all direct orders; he just had to know.

Fury tipped his head toward the exit of the bathroom, inviting the archer to follow. The director waited by the door as Hawkeye found the closest pair of sweat pants he could find, and slid his feet inside his gray slippers.

"Is she alive?" Clint asked as he followed Fury out of his room and down the hall. The fact that they were not heading to Natasha's room (which was just a few doors from his) did not sit well with his worried state.

"She's breathing. What's the last thing you remember?" Fury asked once they reached their private elevator and pressed the appropriate button for the floor they were heading to. Barton did not even try to suppress the nervous exhale that escaped him when he realized the button Fury had pressed was for the quarantine section of their in-house medical facilities.

"I don't remember much –at least not now. I remember the entire fucking village turning out to be a set up. I should've known there is no such thing as Asian villagers in the Congo," the archer said, referring to the knowledge that not only had some of the Extremis 2.0 soldiers been posing as locals, but others had hidden in the huts since they resembled every race possible other than just what the Avengers would have expected from Central Africa.

"Even Coulson was surprised by that one; don't beat yourself up."

"Coulson made it?" The surprise in Clint's voice was evident.

"Part of him did," the director answered with a light shrug. The elevator came to a stop and opened its doors to show the pristine halls of the infirmary facilities of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"The part that matters?" Barton asked, following his superior out of the elevator and suddenly feeling more fearful of the fate of his team.

"You may have to convince him of that."

xxxXXXxxx

Steve Rogers sat by himself in the cafeteria of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, surrounded by several empty bottles of scotch. He knew that his enhanced body would not allow him to get drunk, but that had not kept him from trying before, or today. The burn marks were already disappearing from his skin, and he knew the bandages on his head would soon come off as well, but the goodness of it did not do anything for his fallen spirits.

"I didn't take you to be a drunk, Rogers."

Steve's eyes looked up to see a very informally dressed Maria Hill approaching him. The usual uniform was absent and in its place were jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. She had been assigned to watch over the recovering super soldier since his arrival at base three days ago, but she had lost sight of him when he had taken advantage of her need to use the facilities to sneak out of the confines of his room.

"Took you long enough to find me," he spat back before picking up the glass he held in his hand and taking down its entire contents.

Maria shrugged. "I figured you needed a break, but it's time for you to go back to bed."

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, ma'am, but I feel like shit right now, and I'd like to be left alone."

"Do I look like a ma'am to you?" she asked, moving closer and sitting next to him. "And of course you feel like shit; you look like it! Which is _why _you need to return to bed, Steve."

Steve eyed her from the corner of his eye, wondering why all the normal-looking women in his life turned out to be spies, super soldiers, or assassins-in-the-making. How was he supposed to find anyone he could connect with in moments like these?

"He wants to see you, you know?" she told the Captain after a brief silence, placing her hand on his left upper arm to comfort him as much as she could. Maria was not known to be the motherly-type, but she could understand how her peer felt. If she herself felt responsible for the Avengers' current health status, knowing she was not even close enough to help, she just knew that Steve –who had been a few feet from them, felt as if the entire situation had been his fault. "He doesn't regret what he did for you."

Steve scoffed. "I don't think me being around is good for him. I should've signed his cards sooner, and I should've ordered the Avengers to retreat rather than staying behind."

"You saved his life."

"_No._ _I_ put his life in danger. _Pepper_ saved his life."

"She _patched_ him up, yes. _You_ got him out of there, though."

Steve shook his head lightly. There was no changing his mind, but he could change the topic. "How is she?"

Maria pulled her hand away from his arm and placed her open palms in between her knees. It was a gesture she always resorted to when she was uncomfortable with a conversation. She knew who Steve was referring to, and even though Pepper's name had just been brought up, it was not she who Steve was asking about. "Director Fury is taking Clint downstairs to say goodbye to her."

Steve nodded, bringing his head lower and lower until his chin almost touched his chest. He certainly had feelings for the redhead, but he knew they were not as strong as the Hawk's. "Does he know?"

"Not yet, but he will. He needs to sign the papers."

An unconscious Hawkeye being Natasha's medical proxy had been the only reason the medical team of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been unable to pull the plug.

xxxXXXxxx

Everyone who knew Banner and knew about the existence of the Hulk thought that Bruce had taken on meditation to learn to control the beast. While part of the reason to learn meditation had been to regulate the appearance of the Hulk, the other reason for its practice was unknown to everyone; even to the man that had grown to be the doctor's best friend.

Truth was that the experiment-gone-wrong that had caused the Hulk's inception had also brought with it some unpleasant and unrelated abilities to the unfortunate scientist. While he would not hesitate to relay to others the most mundane skills, he had not been able to force himself to share his most disturbing ability of all: Bruce's ability to see the dead while in Hulk mode.

The idea seemed ridiculous at first as he had initially dismissed the possibility of extrasensory capabilities resulting from the gamma ray incident, and had attributed his _visions_ to suppressed bad memories of his childhood years. The fact that it was his late father who was the first one to appear to him, to piss the royal fuck out of him shortly after the Hulk came to be, had been an unequivocal sign that the images of his abusive father had just come back to him to aggravate the other guy even more.

For many months the doctor had ignored the possibility that he was indeed seeing the ghostly image of his progenitor, stuck somewhere in between the narrow bridge of life and death only the Hulk could see. He refused to believe that his father had resorted to staying behind for the sake of continuing his abuse on his own child even in death. However, after nearly a year since he had become aware of his father's bickering presence when transformed into the Hulk, Bruce began noticing other things –other people.

For instance, when he had secluded himself in Calcutta before Agent Romanoff had so graciously smoked him out of his hideout, he had been tending to the sick and underprivileged. In his trek throughout the desolated and poverty-stricken towns, he had seen his share of deaths –particularly children, whom he had not been able to help in their late stages of illness. He had not thought about their pale faces again until the battle of New York when those same figures came to him in the middle of the alien fight.

They had been silent, as opposed to his father, but their faces had said everything that was in their minds. They were asking him why he had let them die, and why he had not saved them all. Even at that point Bruce had tried to ignore his hidden ability, blaming the stress of battle as the reason for such painful images to replay in his Hulk form. Perhaps, he thought, it was his body's way of keeping him angry all the time and thus providing the beast with more fuel to continue his rampage; all for the sake of keeping his own body from dying in battle.

This time, however, the experience was different for three reasons: 1) He was seeing the ethereal images of the soldiers he had killed in the Congo; 2) He was not in Hulk form; and, 3) They were following him almost everywhere since they had returned from the battle three days ago.

Bruce closed his eyes again, exhaling slowly and hoping against hope that when his eyes opened once more, the figures would be gone. Sometimes they left, sometimes they had not. Sometimes he saw the kids in Calcutta, and sometimes he saw his father again. The difference between seeing these images while in his human form and his Hulk form was that when he was the Hulk he could hear them speak. As Bruce Banner, however, he could not.

_Leave, go away. Let me be. The other guy's not around._

Bruce opened his eyes and to his relief the images were gone, for now. He counted his blessings as he had work to do at the lab; he could not risk Natasha's life more than it already had been by being distracted by his newfound ability: Bruce Banner saw dead people.

xxxXXXxxx

The General hated to feel useless or hopeless; he hated to feel defeated. But, one thing he hated above all of these emotions was not being able to move; or, at least not freely. If he had free range of movement he knew he had the option of doing something about the feelings of uselessness, hopelessness and defeat. Today, however, he had no such luck and he felt all of these emotions attacking him simultaneously.

Then again, it could have been much worse and he knew it. He had survived the battle against countless Extremis soldiers, grenades, chemical weapons, a freak winter storm in the rainforest of Africa, and God knew what else while he had been unconscious. And, to make his story even more worthy of sharing was the fact that he had made it out of hell with only a broken leg; one measly broken leg that would heal in a few weeks. He should have lost his life during their mission, and he recognized this fact damned well.

What he did not want to recognize, however, was the fact that his broken leg had been the result of his team's efforts to keep him alive. Did he deserve to come out of the massacre with only a broken limb when Natasha was fighting for her life? When Coulson had nearly lost his life? When Tony had…

"Rhodey?"

The General's self-pity fest was interrupted when Happy walked into the waiting room of the ICU level of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, looking worse for wear than anyone in his age range should look. The moment Iron Man had abandoned his lab basement to head to the Congo to help his wife and his team, Happy had been given the responsibility of supporting Ms. Smith with the kids. At first, Happy had stayed behind at the mansion to allow the twins to wait for their parents in their own home, but after having trouble finding out what had become of the superheroes, Happy had brought the nanny, the dog and the twins to base with him.

"Rhodey," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I can't get her to leave. She needs to eat something…sleep. I…I've tried everything, but…" the usually content former chauffeur swallowed hard. His eyes were quickly filling up with unshed tears of sadness and desperation. He wanted to help but at this point there was only so much anyone could do for his fallen comrades.

Rhodey nodded slightly in understanding and stood up from the seat using his crutches as support. He took a few steps toward Happy who seemed was about to have a nervous breakdown and stopped next to his friend.

"You need to eat and sleep too, Hap," he said as he placed his hand on Hogan's shoulder. "Go crash, man. I'll see what I can do about Pepper."

"But…it's been, like, three days…here…like, a week since she's…"

"I know, I know, Happy. Let me do the work now. Go check on Gigi and Robbie and then sleep. You're no good to them if you pass out. Right?"

The former bodyguard sniffed and nodded. He did not want to leave any of them to their misery, but Rhodey had a point. "Wake me up if you need me, OK?"

"Sure thing. Now go."

Rhodey waited for Happy to disappear behind the door that led to the exit of the floor before hauling himself to the ICU room Happy had just left, knowing his new task was going to be more impossible and difficult than enduring once more what he had just survived.

xxxXXXxxx

The sympathetic looks Clint was receiving from his peers at the medical ward did nothing to comfort him. Nick Fury had refused to give details of Natasha's actual condition since they had left the elevator, and it was not until he stood outside the last quarantine room at the end of the hall that he realized why her health status been difficult to describe.

The blinds of the room were open, so he was able to see inside the tiny room that was overcrowded by the machines inside. Machines which, he knew, their sole purpose was to keep Natasha's lungs breathing and her heart pumping because her body was no longer able to do so on its own.

Barton swallowed the lump in his throat as he walked closer to the large window. He rested his fists on the glass and pressed his forehead onto it. He could feel his lips trembling, attempting to betray his usual cool exterior, but if anyone expected him to keep calm at seeing his friend, his partner, the object of his affection, looking as pale as a three-day-old corpse, then they had no heart.

He opened his mouth to ask the question but his voice had abandoned him the moment he laid eyes on her motionless body. Thankfully for him, Fury was more than willing to answer his unspoken queries.

"We thought she had caught the flu with the winter storm, so we treated her for that in any way we could on our way back here. She got sicker, really quickly, so we concentrated on reducing the fever and the spams. The first night she was here after we brought you guys back, she went into a coma. We ran some more tests and it turns out our efforts to get her better got her worse."

Clint turned his head to the right to face Fury. He no longer cared that his eyes were red and that his superior could see the pain in his face. Fury took Barton's silence as an invitation to continue his story.

"She has malaria, Barton; a very fast-acting, very aggressive type. She must have picked it up somewhere during those last missions in Africa. By the time the battle in the village took place, she was already extremely ill. Her liver and spleen have given up, and so have her heart and her lungs. We are going against her wishes; we just wanted you to see her before…"

Hawkeye closed his eyes before his right fist hit the glass multiple times as hard as he could without shattering it. He took in deep breaths to calm down as he felt Fury walk behind him and unlock the door to her room. The sound of the door opening was all Clint needed to follow Nick inside the small quarantine room and not stopping until he was by Natasha's bedside.

Nick remained standing by the foot of the bed while Barton grabbed the Widow's left hand in both of his and brought it to his lips, making his skin crawl when he felt how cold she was. "Nat, it's me."

Not caring who watched them, Barton kissed the back of her hand a few times, trying to bring some warmth to her clammy skin. "Natasha," he begged. "Please…wake up, Nat."

The only response he got came from the beeping life support machines, mocking him with every sound they made. He rested her hand on his forehead and closed his eyes, holding back a sob. "Nat…"

"She can't hear you, Clint."

Hawkeye's snapped open, and had Nick uttered the factual words to him he would have probably lost his job over shouting foul things at his director during such a painful moment for him. Nonetheless, Barton knew the voice he had just heard did not belong to the awfully silent Fury but to a man he and Natasha both owed their lives to. "Can…" Clint began, keeping back the cascade of emotions that threatened to overtake him. "Can you make her hear me?"

"With your permission, I think I can."

* * *

**A/N:** BTW, Hulk's ability to see astral spirits has been documented in the comics, and nobody really knows how or why. In this case, and to make it easier on all of us, I just called them ghosts. There's no Bruce Willis here, though :D


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: **FYI guys, I'm posting the chapters in this order for a reason: to confuse the hell out of you XD. Nah! JK. I think it's more exciting this way.

This chappie is a continuation of Chapter 11 in continuity.

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**Chapter 13  
**

Fury walked closer to the monitor as it replayed the mysterious path the flames were following on the right-side of the screen Agent _Galaga_ had pointed out for them. He tried his best to determine if what he was seeing was just an issue with the satellite feed or if something or someone was truly parting the fire in the same way Moses had parted the Red Sea, but the image was too grainy to help clarify the situation.

"Hill?"

"Sir?" Maria approached him and became all ears. She recognized the tone Nick had used to get her attention as one that alerted her that the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was ready for action.

"In t-minus 15 minutes we will depart the Hellicarrier in three Quinjets. I want the first one to be loaded with medical staff and equipment for all sorts of emergencies: burns, drowning, broken bones, the fucking chickenpox, everything. The second jet I want full of arsenal: bullets, bazookas, grenades, chemical bombs, tear gas, fire ants, you-name-it, I want it there." Fury stepped back from the screen and walked to his workstation, pressing buttons left and right as he completed his part of the mission.

"Immediately, sir," Maria responded as she walked to her station herself and began her assigned task. "And, for the third one?"

"You, me and as many top agents we can fit in there. Load all of the jets with enough fuel to last us for days. We are going supersonic; I need us to be landing on the site in no more than two hours."

"Suborbital jets, sir?" Maria asked, hesitant of the crafts' use since she knew the supersonic, suborbital jets that Tony had designed for them had not been tested yet.

"Yes, Hill."

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper Potts had felt all kinds of pain since her forced induction into the world of the Extremis, so holding her ground from the worst part of an explosion was not the vilest type of ache in the world for her. She could only hope, however, that the same went for the comrade she was protecting at all costs.

Thanking and cursing Aldrich Killian at the same time, she used the damned temperature control technique that had proved rather handy thus far. Her goal was to use the heat that emanated from her body to counter most of the flames and shrapnel of the grenade as much as possible while not burning Rhodey to sad, little dust particles not even his late grandma would recognize, even if placed inside an ash jar with his name plastered all over it.

She knew she could withstand extremely high temperatures especially if she was able to create them herself –much higher than the first generation of Extremis, but even the War Machine suit could not withstand the impact of being near the sun's bastard child.

_Hang in there, Rhodey. Just, hang in there._

She felt their bodies being pushed and pulled from side to side, the rafts of explosions threatening to separate them, but she held on to him. With every sensation of shrapnel piercing her body, her mind took her back to the last time Rhodey had faced death near her or because of her. It had been back at her hotel room when she had left Stark Tower, ashamed of the tape that had been displayed for everyone to see. She had almost killed Rhodey that night; the man that had hauled his ass to Mexico to save her, and tonight she hoped she could repay some of that debt she owed him by keeping him alive.

When she felt another piece of metal embed itself in her back, she ground her teeth. Was this what Tony had felt when he had been ambushed in Afghanistan? Was this the pain he had endured when the precursor to the arc reactor had been implanted in his chest with no anesthesia and against his will? As much as she would have liked to have Tony nearby to tell her everything was going to be alright during this time, she was equally glad he was not physically present as she was not certain she would have been able to protect them both at the same time.

_Ugh! My ears!_

The distinct ringing that is left behind after loud sounds blasting near you subside was the only sign that the explosives had finally done their job. Pepper opened her eyes, shook her head and blinked a few times. Her near perfect eyesight soon proved to be useless. Her sense of equilibrium was shot, making it difficult for her to find her ass in a lit closet with mirrors on all four walls. Yet she knew she could not stay where she was or she and Rhodey would die in the middle of No-Man's Land.

"Rhodes, get up." She mumbled to him, pushing his body away from hers, attempting to assess the damage to her own body. She shook her head again, trying to make sense of the distorted sounds around her but failed miserably. "Rhodey, wake up," she said once more, feeling her dislocated back bones popping back into place on their own, and the pieces of shrapnel melting out of her body with the heat.

The General, however, was in no better condition than her. While the protection of the suit had surely diminished the impact of the explosions, the tug-o-war that was caused by Pepper's strength being used to keeping him in place and the explosions wanting to send him in an opposite direction had resulted in a broken leg, the pain of which ended in a passed out superhero.

"Dammit, James! Move!"

Pepper narrowed her eyes, willing her vision to focus on finding the emergency unlocking mechanism of the faceplate. As soon as she found it, she pressed on it and the helmet dropped to the ground with a thud, revealing the unconscious face of War Machine.

"Rhodey!"

Her hand flew to his neck to check for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found a strong one, and thanked the heavens she was healthy enough to get him to safety.

_I need to get us out of here._

Feeling the grogginess slowly leaving her, Pepper straightened her back to finish popping her vertebrae before looking around her. The night had definitely fallen on them, and so had some of the soldiers.

Both Avengers were surrounded by limbs, heads, and other unmentionable body parts. The smell of burnt human flesh was worse than when Rhodey had cut her necropsied body just a while ago, the wind bringing with it other fowl smells from around the village.

"Oh, God!"

Lifting herself and Rhodey from the ground, her field of vision widened, and she was able to see the fires sprouting around them. The huts were lit, reminding her of another village that had been ravaged by the same mindless beasts that Aldrich had the nerve of calling the next level of humanity. And to think she herself had almost fallen prey to his antics if it had not been for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intervention!

S.H.I.E.L.D.

_Where are the others?_

Adjusting War Machine's body so that she could carry him more freely, she began her trek to look for her friends. Her now bare feet stomped over the bloodied battlefield, and many times she had to swallow hard to not vomit at the scene, especially when she walked by the deceased bodies of the little boy and girl that had attacked her earlier.

_Bastards!_

She had figured the grenades had been an effort to slow down the Avengers, but seeing how many of the soldiers themselves had been injured, she had to wonder if a third force was present with them.

Another scan of the area showed that while some soldiers were scurrying away with their lives, some were slowly recovering from the explosions to continue the fight. She did not think the team was in any condition to keep fighting, so her goal became to get them all out of there before round two started.

Fighting against fire, smoke, limbs and darkness, Pepper was able to find a green heap she would recognize anywhere. Holding onto Rhodey tighter than before, she ran toward the towering form of the Hulk.

xxxXXXxxx

"Clint, I can't…breathe…" The pain of the jagged rock stabbing her back was aggravated by the fact that her chest was being pressed down by Clint's massive one. She did not remember Barton weighing a ton –or two, and while she knew there had to be a good reason why he had tackled her to the ground, she did not give a damn at the moment; all she wanted was the ability to breathe.

"Barton! Get off!"

Slowly, the weight was lifted and she took in a deep breath –or several. She shook her head to regain some composure but the sudden movement only made her stomach complain.

_Fuck!_

Her hands pressed on Barton's chest, physically letting him know she needed to move fast as she felt the bile rising to her mouth. However, when Hawkeye's body did not move, the Black Widow panicked and her stomach issues escaped her mind.

"Clint! Clint! Wake up!" Her shock at seeing how his limp body was at her mercy took her entire attention. She did not notice that the weight that had been on them just seconds ago had been none other than the Hulk himself, who had run toward them when the explosions had begun to shield them with his own body. "Barton! Wake up!"

Natasha rolled his body from her, laying him face up. She held his face in her hands and moved his head from side to side, looking for any signs of head trauma. When she found none, her eyes and hands scanned his body for puncture wounds, gunshot wounds, anything that would tell her if he was fatally injured, but again there were none.

"If this is a joke, it isn't funny, Hawk."

She laid her right hand on his neck and after frantic movements of her palm around his throat, her eyes widened. "NO! Clint!"

He had no pulse.

Forgetting that soldiers were still close by, she pulled his arrow pouch from him so that his back was flat on the ground. She then sat on his stomach, a leg on each side, and began giving his chest much needed compressions.

"1…2…3…4…"

The compressions were followed by mouth-to-mouth oxygen transfer, which was then followed by her ear on his mouth to feel his breath.

There was none.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve's eyes fluttered open to see the darkened skies above him. He noticed the stars were plentiful in open spaces like this, but he had not been aware until now that trees moved by themselves of their own accord.

_What?_

A shake of his head and a wiggle of his body was all it took to realize the trees were not moving; it was him. In fact, it was not him moving at his will; he was being moved.

By Extremis soldiers.

His shocked whimper was all it took for the soldiers to stop in their tracks and stare down at the battered super soldier. Steve's eyes widened at seeing the dozen soldiers surrounding him, letting go of his arms that had been used to drag him away from battle. He did not need to see past their feet to know that his shield was nowhere near him, and that he was on his own in the middle of nowhere. Next thing he knew, his body was being pounded and burned by 12 angry furnaces.

xxxXXXxxx

"Sir, satellite imagery shows the soldiers are on the move." Maria told her superior from her copilot seat. "Course of action?"

Fury walked to the screens, noticing the red dots taking on different directions. Some red dots were moving slowly, and some were hauling ass from the scene. He had cancelled Operation Black Ice once before, and while their proximity to the site would make it easier on all of them to end the life of this sample of soldiers, he still had hope that his team was around.

"Did we bring those prototype tear gas samples?"

"We did."

"Send as many as needed to slow them down."

"Roger," Maria responded, already inputting the necessary codes to release the missiles that would drop the chemical weapons on the site. "Missiles should be there in 15 minutes, sir."

"Good. What is our ETA?"

"T-minus 45 minutes."

"Make it 30."

xxxXXXxxx

The Hulk groaned as he lifted himself from the ground. His head was pounding and the ringing in his ears was almost unbearable. The only good thing about not being able to hear anything other than the ringing at the moment was that the images of the little kids and the old man that usually appeared to him when in battle had no sound to them this time.

"Arrghhhh!" He moaned again, unconsciously taking quite a few steps toward Pepper's incoming form before toppling over his feet and falling on his ass to the ground, his contorted features and closed eyes showing he was in extreme discomfort.

"Bruce?" Pepper said once she stood in front of him, still holding onto Rhodey's limp form. "Bruce, can you hear me?"

She placed her hand on his chest, looking up at his confused face and attempting again to get his attention. "Bruce, please snap out of it. We gotta go."

"Hurrttt." The green beast mumbled, his eyes still shut.

"I know, Hulk. I know. But if we don't leave now, we're going to hurt more." Pepper retorted, not sure if Hulk could hear her. When Hulk's eyes did not open, she carefully placed Rhodey on the ground before slowly climbing onto the behemoth until she reached his face.

"Bruce? Please, Bruce, Rhodey's hurt."

Her warm hands on his face made his eyes open, and for an instant Pepper feared he was going to lash out at her. The automatic rage that filled his eyes slowly disappeared, leaving behind the kind eyes that showed recognition coming from within Banner's trapped form.

"Pepper?"

"Yes, Bruce. It's me. Are you OK?"

The ringing left behind by the loud sounds was finally diminishing, allowing him to hear the words of the woman he recognized. He responded by nodding to her before picking her up by her arm and carefully depositing her on the ground. Once on the ground, she picked up Rhodey as Hulk stood up.

"Home?"

"Yes, Bruce. We need to go home," Pepper responded. "Why don't we…"

Pepper's recommendation was stopped midsentence when she heard the loud and clear scream of Captain America coming from nearby.

xxxXXXxxx

The scream made Natasha become aware of her surroundings, realizing Bruce was behind her, and soldiers were starting to come near her and Hawkeye. The scream she recognized as Steve's made her double her efforts at pumping life into Clint, who as if on cue began coughing out dried blood.

"Barton! Barton! Are you OK?"

She held his head in her hands and forced him to focus on her. Her thumbs stroked his cheeks and against her will she felt her eyes fill with tears. "You scared the shit out of me, Clint."

Hawkeye tried to smile for her to calm her fears but he was only able to manage a lopsided grin. He closed his eyes briefly and took in deep breaths he had surely missed. He swallowed hard to wash down the taste of blood before clearing his throat.

"N-Nat…"

"Ssshh," she ordered him. "Don't use up your energy, stay there," she added as she stood up from him when she saw he was trying to keep his eyes open but could not. She reached for her gun and loaded it, standing above Clint's semiconscious form and eyeing the soldiers that were making their way to them.

"I'll get you out of here, Clint. I promise you I will."

xxxXXXxxx

"Natalie?"

The voice of the other female member of the Avengers brought the redhead some relief. She knew the Hulk was behind her, but having another member of the team present gave her some hope that they did have a chance to make it out alive.

"Is Clint OK?" Pepper asked as she reached the assassin and stared down at Barton's form.

"He is. Are you OK?"

"I am, but Rhodey is unconscious and I don't know where Tony is."

The even louder scream made the two women cringe. Pepper looked over her shoulder to see the Hulk, to whom she had handed Rhodey off, dropping the General closer to them and walking menacing toward the incoming soldiers trying to reach them from behind. "Natalie, I have to go help Steve."

Natasha looked down at Barton, and then in the general direction the scream had come from. She wanted to help Steve too, but she was afraid that not even the Hulk would be fast enough to protect Clint and Rhodey if she decided to leave with Potts. "Are you sure, Pepper?"

Pepper nodded. "Hulk can help you here, keep an eye on them," she said as she pointed to Hawkeye and War Machine. "Steve is strong, but I sense too many heat signals in that direction."

"Alright," Natasha said, unsure of herself. "Just be careful. If Tony finds out I let you walk to your death…"

Pepper smiled at Natasha, shaking her head and making her a promise not to perish. Whatever response Natasha had to Pepper's promise died on her lips when Steve's scream was heard once more. The moment Pepper left the scene, the remaining Avengers were surprised by another set of close-range explosions.

Pepper stopped in her tracks, but when she heard Natasha's voice stating they were alright, and to help Steve, the strawberry-blonde was left with no choice but to continue running down her path.

xxxXXXxxx

"Jarvis, how much fucking longer?" Iron Man asked, feeling his limbs growing numb from the speed he was traveling.

"5 minutes until destination, sir." Jarvis promptly responded.

"What about the suit? Any luck with it?"

"My sensors indicate that the Mark XLIII is permanently decommissioned."

"Might as well," Tony scoffed, knowing that a brand-spanking new Mark XLIV was in the making. "What about the others? Have you found them yet?"

"It is difficult to track them in the night, sir, but the number of red dots symbolizing Extremis-infected humans have been reduced to less than 50, on and off." The AI responded before adding that Nick Fury was on the line.

"Patch him through."

_"Stark? What's your 20?"_

"Uh, four minutes from location. Where's your slow ass?"

_ "20 minutes from your location." _Fury responded, choosing to ignore Stark's smartass comment.

Tony was taken aback. "What? How? Are you using my jets?"

_ "YOUR jets? Sir, last I checked we paid your ridiculous fee for them."_

"Yeah, but the design is still mine, and there's nothing ridiculous about a quality aircraft, Stark-engineered."

_"Whatever. Look, we sent missiles to the area carrying tear gas and they've gone off."_

"Tear gas?" Tony sputtered in disbelief. "Seriously, Nick? Do you think you're gonna stop furnaces with shitty tear gas?"

_ "It's not just regular __**tear**__ gas, for fucks sake! This shit would knock out the Hulk for three days!"_

"Well that makes me feel _so_ much better. Knock out the only Avenger that probably made it out of the explosions."

_And probably the only one that could have protected Pepper._

_"Stark…"_

"Fine! Fine!" Tony conceded. "I'll let you know how your _tear gas_ did. I'm three minutes away."

_"10-4. Fury out."_

xxxXXXxxx

Steve felt the pounding suddenly coming to a stop. He was not sure if the attack from the soldiers had subsided because he had finally died, or because they were taking a break before continuing to beat him to a pulp.

_I'm not going down without a fight! I just need to…_

"Step away, please."

Rogers's eyes snapped open when he heard a familiar voice he thought he would never hear again. The voice was close by, holding the same air of confidence and authority its owner carried himself with. "If you let him go, I'll let you live a little bit longer."

"C-Coulson?"

Phil's smirk grew wider when he heard his childhood hero was conscious enough to know who he was. He did not have a lot of weapons with him, but he knew that the both of them working together had a better chance at retreating from the soldiers than each one by themselves.

"It's alright, Steve. I've got your shield."

The soldiers chuckled at seeing the little man attempt to defy the dozen of them, cracking their knuckles before they charged at him.

xxxXXXxxx

Natasha held onto Clint for dear life, keeping his back as close to her chest as possible, while Hulk held onto Rhodey's limp form under his arm. The tear gas that had appeared from the incoming missile was too strong for her liking, and she could only hope that its presence meant backup was nearby.

The explosion and the chemical had at least scared off the soldiers, and even though she was on the ground with nothing on her to defend themselves other than Hawkeye's unused arrows, she felt that if she, Clint, Hulk and Rhodey could survive the effects of the gas, they had a better chance to survive the ordeal.

"I'm sorry, Clint," she whispered to him before her body began to shut down. The effects of the smoke were staring to hit them all, blinding them and making it harder to stay awake. Her final thoughts were of her and Hawkeye, miles away from this forsaken place, enjoying the company of the other, and picturing what it would be like to finally tell him how much she loved him.

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper Potts skidded to a stop a few feet away from the retreating glowing men only to find on the ground the limp form of Captain America and the mutilated body of Phil Coulson.

"NO!"

She ran toward Steve first as he was closest to her. She kneeled by his side and checked for a pulse. When she found one she stood up and ran to the _torso_ of who had been the most revered agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and kneeling next to him as she had done with Cap.

"Phil! Oh, God!"

The man's lower arms and legs had been torn at the junctions, leaving him to bleed out until his last breath. Pepper bent down on Coulson's chest, and when she felt a faint pulse, she sobbed. "Phil, hang on, OK. Hang on!"

Lifting her body from him again, she eyed him more carefully. She could see some burnt skin and bruises, but other than the bleeding from his limbs she could not see any other reason he could die sooner than the bleeding. She needed to stop the drainage immediately, but she had no medical equipment with her.

"Dammit, Phil, please stay with me!" she begged him when she heard him cough. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and she saw a backpack with the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on it a few feet from them. She wasted no time in standing up and dragging the backpack with her to where Phil laid, pouring its contents all over the ground.

"Come on! Come on! Something! Anything!" she repeated to herself, scrounging through the artifacts that had once been carried inside the bag.

"DAMMIT!" She cursed aloud when she found nothing useful to stop the bleeding. If only the Extremis had used the heat to cut his limbs, if only they had cauterized the wounds…

Pepper froze on the spot.

_They didn't, but I can._

Knowing how much pain she was going to put him through, but also realizing doing something painful was better than doing nothing useful, she lightly patted Phil's cheek, trying to get as much of his attention as she could.

"Phil, Phil! It's me, Pepper. I'm going to help you, OK. I'm going to stop the bleeding but it's gonna hurt."

Coulson fluttered his eyes open as long as he could and gave the woman a weak smile. "Steve?"

"You did good, Phil, you did good," she reassured him. "Steve's breathing, but you're bleeding pretty bad. I'm sorry, Phil. I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."

"D-Do i-it."

Without much hesitation, Pepper placed her hands on whatever was left of Coulson's left arm and she began to burn the skin shut. The screams of the agent woke up Steve, scrambling him to his feet just in time as the batch of Extremis soldiers began returning to the scene of the crime.

* * *

**A/N:** What do you think is next? Another chapter of the future (or is it present?). Well, it's the future of this chapter, but it's the present of the continuity, but it's also the past of the continuity after that. Right? Err…I think…Well, I'll leave the time machine issues to the Tony Stark of _30 Days_.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The archer looked away from Bruce and kissed Natasha's hand once more before laying it back on her bed. He then stood up from his crouching position, sniffed loudly as he cleared his throat, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. He had not realized when the tears had started falling, but he did not feel as weak as he thought he would have if his Director ever got to see him in this state.

When he felt as if he had composed himself enough, he turned around and walked to the scientist. The determination on Bruce's face gave Hawkeye's dying hope a lift. "What are you thinking of doing?"

"Do you want the short answer or the long justification?"

"Tell it to me straight."

"I want to pump her body with modified Extremis to reboot her immune system."

At hearing Bruce's plan, Nick Fury shook his head in obvious disapproval. "Dr. Banner, the last thing we need is more people infected with the virus. Besides, what if she can't self-regulate? She'll blow up and take innocent people with her. I can't approve of this."

Clint stared down at Natasha, asking her silently for an answer –a sign, that she wanted to take the risk Bruce was offering. Nick had a valid point in that the idea was dangerous, especially since she was unconscious and would not be able to self-regulate the virus just as those initial poor bastards Killian had experimented on had been unable to do. If she died, well, she was dying anyway. But, if she lived, would she be affected by the virus as Pepper had? What if she hated him for making her life miserable or unstable?

"Can you give me the long justification, Doc?" Clint turned to the doctor, earning him a scoff from Fury.

"You're not seriously considering this option, Barton."

"If it was your only family who needed it, would you have considered it, sir?"

Nick hung his head, walked away from the foot of the bed and headed to the door. The two men standing near him assumed he was going to walk away, but to their surprise he closed the door and locked it with the three of them still inside.

"Look, Clint, I know how you feel…"

"No, you don't. You DON'T know how I feel…"

Fury put his hands up in a conceding manner. "Alright, that's true, I'll give you that. But, do you have_ any_ idea what you're considering here? Do you know how many parties would want to dig their hands in this? If Bruce is able to do what he says," he looked at Banner to add to his sentence, "No offense, Doctor."

"None taken," Bruce shrugged.

"If _that_ works," Fury continued, "Do you know how long it would take the Council to use her as guinea pig? The Extremis virus is a weapon, Barton –a _powerful_ mind-control weapon. The only reason why they haven't taken Pepper Potts is because Tony and Bruce haven't been able to control the 2.0."

"Well…that's not_ exactly_ true…" Bruce began.

Fury's eyes widened. "What the…what?"

"I wouldn't say_ control_, but Tony has been playing with it…a lot."

Nick groaned and threw his head back. "I _don't_ want to know."

"Right," Bruce agreed. "Anyway, Clint, I wouldn't use full Extremis on Natasha. All I'd do is give her immune system a chance to fight the malaria. Once she's on her own, we'll test the vaccine on her. Since she won't get a full dose of Extremis, she should be rid of it once the cure kicks in."

Hawkeye rubbed his forehead with his right hand. Usually, tough decisions such as these fell on Natasha's hands. He was not a follower per se, but she had always been able to make the calculating decisions with no problem. Even though he was an assassin of her caliber, he still had a bigger and warmer heart than any sniper should have bothered having. Otherwise, he would have not brought Natasha over to S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of killing her as he had been assigned, and Loki would have not taken advantage of him as he had.

_Natasha._

The thought of Loki's mind control on him reminded him that she had done everything she could to get him back from the reigns of the would-be King. Was it not only fair that he did the same for her? Even if it was going against her feelings of being manipulated, controlled or handled as if she were nothing more than a laboratory specimen, he just had to try.

The archer gave Natasha one last glance before returning his attention to Fury and Bruce, who were patiently awaiting his response. "When can you start?"

xxxXXXxxx

The knock on the door caught his attention, but he remained still as he heard the door open and close followed by the hesitant steps of the Captain. Coulson gave the man a half smile as he neared his bed, trying to ease the look of guilt on the super soldier's face. "I hope you're not here to tell me someone died."

At Coulson's attempt at a joke, Steve's face sobered even more. Technically, no one on the team was dead just yet, but he feared that would change within the next few hours, and that the death toll would start with Agent Romanoff. Pulling a chair close to his savior, Steve sat in it next to the uncomfortable-looking hospital bed.

"Maria said you wanted to see me?"

Coulson nodded. "Yeah, just wanted to make sure you're alright," he asked, noting the bandages and burn marks around the Captain's body.

Steve hung his head and swallowed hard. He could not stand seeing Phil like this; he knew it was a bad idea to face him so soon even though he owed him as much. The once thriving agent was now reduced to a torso with bandages where his arms and legs would have been, leaving him to be a shadow of the active man he had once been.

"Coulson, you don't have to pretend everything's OK. I put you in a difficult situation, and I'd understand if you hate my guts."

Phil snickered. "I've been worse."

Steve stood up from the chair, inadvertently making it scrape the floor when the back of his legs pushed it away. "Worse? Than this? Anything worse than this is death!"

"I've been dead," Phil deadpanned.

Steve closed his eyes. "I know, and only because none of us was fast enough to help you."

"Captain Rogers, I didn't take you for one to enjoy self-pity. What's done is done. This," Phil pointed with his chin at his missing extremities, "is just part of the job."

"I just…I don't understand. How can you be OK with this? Do you not value your life at all?"

"Did you value your life when you put that aircraft in the water?"

"That's different. Many people would've died if I hadn't."

"Then you understand why I did what I did."

Steve opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out. What was he supposed to say to that? Risking their lives was what soldiers –heroes, did. Even the selfish Tony Stark had put his life on the line, but it seemed unfair to Steve that Coulson had to pay such a great price for his devotion to protecting humanity.

Nothing relevant to say to that, indeed. Instead, Rogers dumped his body back in the chair. He stared at Phil's relaxed face, and a new respect for the veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent grew within him. The soldier could only hope that if such a fate ever befell him, he would take it with such stride as Phil Coulson was taking it.

After a few minutes of silence between them, Phil turned to his left to stare at Cap. "So, I heard Maria has a crush on you."

Steve's eyebrows shot up to the roof.

xxxXXXxxx

Rhodey hobbled his way down the hall to the ICU of the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical wing, brainstorming what to do to force Pepper to leave the room. Happy had been correct that she had not eaten since they returned, and had not slept properly in almost a week. Extremis virus or not, the last thing the team needed was another critically injured member.

As he rounded the corner to the hall where he was heading, a somber-looking doctor walked out of the room Pepper was making camp in. The tired doctor shook his head and sighed loudly, feeling his choice of career was too much to bear at the moment. As soon as Rhodey reached the pensive doctor, he cleared his throat to get the medic's attention.

"General Rhodes," the doctor greeted him, shaking his head. He had never worked with superheroes before, and for a bunch that devoted their time to protecting the lives of others, they sure had no clue or intention of taking care of their own. "You shouldn't be stressing your leg like this. You'll extend your recovery time."

Rhodey shrugged. "I heard the medical leave of the worker's compensation is really good around here."

The doctor chuckled. "I should test that myself, right?"

"Well, I just saw an unmarked wet floor spot down the hall over there. You should hurry up; I doubt it'll be there for long."

The doctor laughed aloud despite the bad news he had just delivered to his patient's family. "You know, your friend in there might need your sense of humor right now."

Rhodey stared at the closed door and then at the doctor, nodding to him. "I take it visiting hours are not followed around here?"

"I never saw you here."

With a final thankful nod, Rhodey crutched the rest of the way to the door and opened it, quickly making his way inside and locking the door behind him. Even in the dimmed lights he could see that more life support machines had been added to the small room. It appeared to him that Natasha's record of machines connected to her dying body had just been broken by Tony's count.

Pepper stood up from the side of the bed and turned to face Rhodey. She crossed her arms on her chest, rubbing her upper arms as if she were cold. Her entire face was red, and if she cried more than she was crying right now, James was certain her eyes would just weld shut in irritation. He had never seen Pepper so distraught, even when Tony had been lost in Afghanistan for three long months.

"It's his liver now," Pepper answered Rhodey's unspoken question when she caught his eyes staring at the new machine the doctor had just brought in. "Years of drinking and when he starts sobering up is when his liver decides to take a vacation," she chuckled in irony.

Rhodey closed the distance between him and Potts, allowing her to sob in his arms. It was difficult to maintain his balance with a woman using him for support as she clung to his shirt when only one leg of his was working, but it was the least he could do for the person that had saved his life.

"Rhodey, he's…I don't think he's gonna make it this time," she mumbled into his chest. Rhodey pressed Pepper closer to him, running his fingers through her hair and allowing her to cry all she needed as he stared at his friend fighting for his life on the bed. "He's gonna die on me and it's all my fault," she added.

Rhodey swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew he had to be strong for her at the moment, but seeing the great Tony Stark attached to scores of machines keeping him alive was tough on him too. It would never be any tougher on anyone than on Pepper, but regardless of his asshole attitude, Tony would have many other people who would miss him if he were gone.

The situation just seemed surreal to him. Every time Tony had put his life in danger he had beaten the odds. He had survived an unsanitary medical procedure in a filthy cave. He had pushed his way out of captivity and had wandered in the scorching desert with no water or food. He had made it out of a one-on-one battle against the Iron Monger with a dying arc reactor in his chest. He had cheated death by creating a new element to save his heart. He had defeated Ivan Vanko and his army of suits using an untested chest piece. He had battled an alien force, driven himself into a wormhole with a nuke on his back and had come back to tell the story himself. He had survived an attack at his doorstep and had blown up Aldrich Killian to pieces. Was this his reward for saving the world? Was this his opportunity to rest: nothing but a slow death?

He felt Pepper pushing away from him and watched her as she walked back to the chair she had been glued to ever since they had been rescued from the Congo. No one yet understood how or who had beaten Iron Man within an inch of his life, and Pepper's choppy account of the situation had made no sense to any of them.

Pepper grabbed a tissue from the box near her and blew her nose. She then grabbed another tissue and she dried her face as much as she could before holding onto Tony's hand once more. Rhodey walked up to the bed to join the couple and after finding a spot on the bed that was not littered with wires, he sat on the edge of it.

"What's new?" he finally asked, recognizing the look on her face that told him she was about to tune out everyone and everything as she had when she had seen Tony's battered body for the first time.

"Nothing, everything," she said. "The doctor can't figure out why his body is shutting down. They, uh…they stitched up all his wounds. They've given him blood transfusions. They tested him for all the illnesses they can think of, and…" she shrugged.

Rhodey exhaled. He knew the details of the unsuccessful treatment. Truth was: the doctors had no idea what they were trying to cure in him. For some unexplained reason, Tony's blood was thinning at an alarming rate since they had found him and Pepper after the mission was over. The scene of how they had found them was one Rhodey would never forget for the rest of his life.

"Pepper," the General finally said, starting the conversation he had walked in here to have with her. "I sent Happy to rest, and I think you should rest to. Tony's not gonna get any better or any worse if you don't sleep or eat."

"I'm not tired; I'm not hungry."

"When was the last time you saw your kids?"

"You mean my kids that are going to be left fatherless because of me?"

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Look, Pepper, we're all upset about Tony's condition, but we can't –I can't let you forget about yourself. We all came back with shit we have to deal now, and it would help us –help Tony, if you took care of yourself too. Coulson is disabled. Cap has burn marks. Hawkeye was almost crushed to death. Bruce hasn't been able to sleep. I broke my fucking leg. 'Tasha is…"

Pepper looked up from staring at Tony to face Rhodey. Her eyes then traveled to his leg cast, making her exhale loudly at the realization that Tony, Happy and Rhodey had done so much for her, and she was refusing to take a quick nap and eat a meal for their sake. When had she become as self-destructive as Tony had once been? Why was she denying the truth that Tony would not want her to forget about her own well-being?

Looking back up to stare at Tony, she spoke once more. "Do you promise you will stay here with him?"

"I do. You can even take my crutches so that you know I can't go anywhere. Just, you know, leave me a bucket, just in case."

Pepper chuckled, a small smile gracing her lips. She then stood up and leaned over Tony, kissing the crow of his head and caressing the side of his face. "I'll be back in a while, Tony. Don't go anywhere without me here."

After giving him one last glance, she turned to face Rhodey, placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The silent exchange between them was the final push Pepper needed to walk out of Tony's hospital room and head to their room in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base.

xxxXXXxxx

Bruce Banner sat in a chair next to Natasha's bed. He had begun administering the modified Extremis compound via IV into her, and since this was the first time he had actually tested his formula he had chosen to stay with her and monitor her vitals until she was deemed stable.

Bruce's eyes traveled from his patient to his worried companion. The Hawk had borrowed a blanket from one of the nurses and was snuggled in a chair in a corner of the room, unaware that his unexpected slumber had been forced on him by one of Bruce's other creations: a powerful muscle relaxant that would knock him out for at least half a day. Even though Clint had been asleep since the recovery mission in the Congo, Banner knew that the three-day sleep had been chemically induced by a gas that was not meant to leave its victims tranquil. In fact, he was surprised that Clint had not complained about having disturbing nightmares as soon as he had woken up.

Bruce returned his attention to the redhead, watching her heartbeat remain stable as the compound ran its course inside her. It could take up to three days to see the first positive results of the immune system booster, and even then a full recovery could not be guaranteed. The compound would assist each and every organ in her body to recover their optimum function, but if some organs took on the assistance of the substance too fast, they could cease to work altogether.

The scientist's plan was to remain by the Widow's side until her vitals looked promising, and then he would turn his attention to Tony's case. He had only seen his friend a handful of times since his return as the doctor had spent most of his time locked up in his lab, reviewing Natasha's and Tony's medical records trying to find a way to save them both.

Bruce sighed loudly at the thought of their lives resting in the palms of his hands. As impossible as their recovery seemed to the true medical doctors tending to them, Banner was determined to save them both, no matter the cost. So far, the only price had been the inability to sleep since his return from the mission. Ironically, the chemical Fury had ordered to be used on the site was supposed to have knocked out everyone, even as big as he, for three days. However, the only effect on Bruce had been spooking away any opportunity of slumber from the man.

_I've had worse_, he thought, knowing that as long as he prolonged his meditation sessions, he would not have to worry about not sleeping for a few weeks. Then again, the sudden change from The Other Guy to simple Banner forced by the modified tear gas had wracked his brain, somehow fusing part of his mind with the Hulk's and increasing the cases of seeing those who were no longer there.

Just as now.

From the corner of his left eye, he saw the shadowy figures of what he now called the _Calcutta Casualties_; the three young siblings he had not been able to cure in time. He slowly turned his head to face them, knowing what he would see.

The youngest of the three was no older than 2 years of age, and was being held in the arms of the eldest sibling, who was around 10 years-old. The middle sibling held onto the raggedy clothes of the older sibling; all of his 7 years of age clinging to the hope that he was not dead.

Tears ran down the children's faces, wiping away the dirt on their skin. The conditions in which he had found them when he tried to help them overcome the radiation poisoning they had been exposed to when playing near an old and unmarked nuclear reactor was still evident even in the afterlife. Their skin was clearly poisoned by the radiation, charred by exposure to the blast and shrapnel. The falling hair from their heads had left uneven patches of scalp shining through, and their slightly parted lips showed the lack of teeth.

Bruce looked away from them to face Natasha once more, but _he _was there too.

His father.

He was standing on the opposite side of the bed, a wide smile on his face and his arms crossed on his chest. Banner could not hear him, and he was grateful for that, but he could see his mouth move and his nose scrunch in the same way it always did when he had scolded him in life.

He was here to reprimand him again.

The doctor was not an expert lip reader, but the hand gestures and looks he was being given by his progenitor left no doubt that he was being mocked for his inability to help Natasha. The man pointed his index finger at her, then sweept a hand above her figure before shaking his head in obvious disapproval.

The rant of the ghostly shadow then continued as the shaking of shoulders told Bruce his father had begun laughing uncontrollably as he always did when he had attempted to put down his efforts as a child. Banner thought he had become immune to the antics of his father, but seeing him there standing over Natasha was getting to him. It was one thing to harass his own son, but it was something entirely different to harass his friends.

_I'm gonna take her_, Bruce heard in his head.

His head snapped to face Hawkeye, thinking the archer had spoken to him, but the light snore coming from Clint told him the hero was completely unaware of what was occurring around him. Bruce then turned around to face the door, hoping to see someone coming inside the room but the door was closed.

He was the only conscious man in the room; even the three siblings had left. _Might as well_, he thought knowing that his father loved to tease the three dead kids. His eyes returned to his father, who was smirking back at him as he knew Banner had heard him talk.

_I'm gonna take your pretty, redhead friend. We're gonna have some fun._

"No, you're not," Banner whispered to the shape only he could see.

_You're gonna fail her, just like you failed me and your mother. You're nothing but a failure._

"I don't have time for you," the doctor mumbled before picking up Natasha's chart if for no other reason than to have something else to do but hearing his deadbeat of a dad.

_I'm gonna take her first, and then I'm going to come back for __**her**__, too, _the image said, pointing behind Bruce._  
_

"Bruce?"

The voice coming from behind him startled him; he had not even heard the door open. His eyes looked up to find his father gone, but his words were still very much present in his mind: "_I'm gonna take her first, and then I'm going to come back for __**her**__, too."_

_ Her_, too.

_No._

Banner stood up from the bed and turned to face Pepper standing against the door. She was holding one of those nasty protein drinks in her hand, which would have otherwise disgusted him to no end, but the fact that she had obviously showered and was at least eating something was enough to push away the threatening thoughts of his father from his mind.

"Hey, Pepper," he walked toward her and gave her a hug which she returned wholeheartedly. "Please tell me you're on your way to sleep," he asked her as he caressed her tired face with the back of his hand when they parted ways.

"I'm gonna take a quick nap and then come back down to watch over Tony, but I wanted to see how Natalie's doing before I go to bed."

Bruce nodded as he turned to face Natasha, exhaling loudly and giving his back to Pepper for her to not see the sadness in his eyes. "We're giving her something I would like to try on Tony later on, if you don't mind."

Pepper's heart leaped out of her chest. "What is it? What do you mean? Can you cure him?" she took her hands to her chest, trying not to sound too hopeful of whatever help Bruce could give her husband but having a difficult time not putting all her trust on him. "Please tell me."

Bruce turned around to face Pepper, ready to relay the same explanation he had given Barton earlier today, but instead he was stunned by the scene. Pepper tilted her head to the side before looking down at herself, wondering what had shocked the doctor. She followed the path of his eyes and looked behind herself but there was no one there.

Or, at least, no one _she_ could see.

"Bruce, are you alright?" She asked when she returned her eyes to him, but her inquiry was ignored by the doctor who was still trying to compose himself from staring directly at Tony Stark, who was standing right behind Pepper.

"Any change in Tony's status?" The doctor finally found his voice.

"No, he's still as bad as before. Why?"

The shake of Tony's head was the only response he needed for now. "No reason; just wondering."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm innocent. Who wants to see what happens next?


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N:** AAANNNNDD…thanks to the marvel that is The Doc Brown Project from my other IM fic, _30 Days_ (hint: read if you haven't), here is another back-in-time chapter for your reading pleasure. I had a challenge with myself this weekend: how many chapters can I write in three days? So far, 4. Why? Because your reviews make me smile and the caffeine gives me energy

Keep'em coming!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Steve's run was sloppy at best, stumbling his way to where Pepper was just now finishing burning the skin of Coulson's mutilated legs. His arms were already cauterized, successfully stopping the bleeding, but Pepper's efforts would be for naught if the incoming soldiers got to her mid-work.

"Pepper, they're coming. They're coming!"

"I know!" she retorted as she increased the heat in her hands. Coulson had already passed out from the pain, allowing her to turn up the heat to finish the task that much faster. "I think S.H.I.E.L.D. is almost here."

"Where?" Steve asked, sparing the dark skies a glance before returning his attention to the glowing figures a few feet from them.

"I'm not sure, but when I left the village to come here, missiles with their logo on them landed on us."

"Missiles? The others…are they?" Steve asked, fearing the worst had happened.

Pepper shook her head, picked up Coulson from the ground and walked toward the flabbergasted Captain. "It was just tear gas. Here," she handed Coulson to Rogers. "Take him back to the village. That's where Fury knows we are."

The Captain took Phil from Pepper's arms before staring up at her, damning his luck at knowing what Tony Stark's wife was about to do. "What are you gonna do? Are you coming?"

She again shook her head. "I can't. If I let them come near the others…" she left her sentence unfinished, knowing Steve knew what she had meant. "I'll hold them back. You take Coulson with you and make sure Nick finds us."

"But…"

"Nothing. I'm just holding them back; help is on its way. I'll be fine. Go."

Reluctant, the Captain nodded to his teammate before doing as told. Without daring to look back, he held onto the unconscious agent and ran toward the village as fast as his tired legs could take him.

xxxXXXxxx

"Jarvis, filter!" Tony ordered the AI as he slowed down and landed on the incinerated village. He could see the tear gas was doing its job of knocking out everyone, friend or foe. Everyone, except the Hulk, who instead of passing out as everyone else was shrinking in size, returning to the form of Bruce Banner.

"Banner!" Tony yelled, reaching the wobbly man. Bruce blinked and coughed, shaking his head as he tried to focus his vision. It took him a few seconds, but his mind finally recognized the faceplate, and a relieved smile crossed his face.

"What took you so long?"

"Oh, nothing. Just, you know, the fucking _ocean_! Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I guess. Is this knockout gas?"

"Sorta. Is it affecting you?"

Bruce stood still, waiting for the expected effects of tear gas but the only thing he felt was the burning sensation in his lungs. He shrugged. "No."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I told Fury that his chemical weapons contractor sucks."

"What?"

"Nothing. Where are the others? Where's Pepper?"

"Uhm…" Bruce began, turning around and heading to the place where he had left his teammates. Tony followed closely behind, carefully avoiding the littering of the Extremis soldier bodies on the ground.

"Here's Rhodey," Banner said, rolling the suited man onto his back. Tony bent down to take a closer look at his friend to realize the suit was completely out of power. He opened a compartment in Rhodey's suit, and then a matching one in his own armor and took out a narrow wire from his. He connected the wire to Rhodey's suit and in an instant the War Machine armor was powered up.

"What good is that gonna do?"

"It's gonna stay on long enough to send the coordinates of your location to Fury; just making sure the slowpokes don't get lost looking for you." Tony unplugged the wire from Rhodey's suit, and as soon as Jarvis's scan of the General's status showed his friend would survive, Tony stood up from him and walked to the next mound of bodies.

Bruce rubbed off his eyes from the sting of the already dissipating gas to stare down at Hawkeye and his Widow. Natasha was in an awkward sitting position on the ground, her arms surrounding Barton's limp form. His back was to her chest, and in her hand she held an empty gun.

"Agent Romanoff, can you hear me?" Tony shook her but got no response. "Scan, Jarvis."

As Jarvis ran another scan, Bruce walked past the two assassins on the ground when his eyes caught an incoming figure in the night. He rubbed his eyes once more, trying to determine if he needed to Hulk out again –even though he had the slight suspicion the gas had suppressed his ability to transform, or if he was going to find out another one of his friends had survived.

"Scan is complete, sir," The AI said aloud. "Hawkeye is alright but he shows some bruising caused by a massive impact to his back. Agent Romanoff, however, is in dire need of medical attention; cause undetermined without further analysis but it is clear that her core temperature is higher than it should be."

Hearing this, Tony stood up and moved Hawkeye and Natasha so that they laid flat on their backs as he had done with Rhodey. "Hey, big man, where's my girl?"

Tony's question was left unanswered when he looked up to see Bruce running toward Steve. The super soldier looked worse than Tony had ever seen him after a battle, and he was holding someone in his arms.

_Oh, no!_

Steve's stamina and will finally reached their end, sending the man crashing down to his knees, breathing loudly and deeply. Tony and Bruce reached him, crouching down beside him and becoming utterly shocked at the scene.

"Is that…Coulson?" Tony asked, not believing what he was seeing. "What happened to him?"

Steve only now noticed the presence of his peers and let out a sigh of relief. His eyes then locked on Iron Man, lifting his arm and pulling down on his gauntlet before pointing back in the direction he had just come from. "Pepper…"

That was the only word Iron Man needed to spring into action.

xxxXXXxxx

She disposed of them quickly, not caring for the nightmares she would surely have after this. Her only goal for now was to exterminate the soldiers as swiftly as possible so she could return to her team and wait for their rescuers. The sooner they were out of this fucking rainforest, the more chances Coulson had of surviving.

She was down to only three soldiers who thought they had a better chance of taking her down if they attacked her at the same time. Pepper was having none of it, however, and before the three men knew what had come to them, their heads had been removed from their flailing bodies. She took advantage of the split second their bodies remained standing to use a power she had not used since her possessed self had tried killing Tony.

She took in a deep breath and opened her mouth to release a scorching blaze, aiming it at the dangling bodies. The fire was so intense she knew only ashes would remain, and in her mind it served them right. As she exhaled the flame, she noticed that the path of the fire was somewhat uneven behind the bodies. The flames were dividing up in the middle, as if an invisible power was forming a bubble of energy capable of dissipating the inferno.

She stopped her attack to confirm the bodies had indeed been completely destroyed, calling her job complete. She took a step back to return to the village but her curiosity seized the best of her common sense. She took another deep breath and released it as an even larger flame, and the same effect occurred: the flames reached a point a few feet in front of her where they parted ways in a circular form.

_What the hell?_

"You are right to be curious, Ember."

"Ember? My name is not Ember. Who are you?"

The now partly visible figure chuckled. His body was covered by a dark green cloak, the bottom part of his face hidden behind a thin cloth. Pepper's eyes looked at him up and down, sensing some sort of Extremis presence in him, but not certain of its kind or origin.

"Again you have passed your test with flying colors, my Dear. Imagine how much more power you will have when you return home with me."

"I don't know what you're talking about. And, what test? Are you the one responsible for this massacre?"

The cloaked man scoffed. "Massacre? You called a couple hundred dead mortals a massacre? I call it a necessity to clean the world of filthy blood."

Pepper's eyes widened. "YOU! You're the one who sent those soldiers to the village in Mexico!"

"And many more until you're ready to meet your fate."

Pepper's anger was rising, her body began glowing red rather than orange, and her eyes lit up completely in the same red. "What do you want from me? Why don't I just give you whatever you want and you leave people alone?"

"You can't give me what I want; not yet. You still have more to learn."

"Learn? What? From who?" Pepper asked even though the moment she asked the question the answer became obvious to her. _"All in good time, my dear. All in good time," _Killian's words returned to her.

_That son of a bitch!_

"Who are you?" She asked once more, this time emphasizing her question by setting her body on fire.

"Who am I? I, my dear Ember, am the new ruler of this world." He lifted his left fist in front of himself and opened his hand. In an instant, a blast of ice and snow hit Pepper, just as it had hit everyone hours ago. Pepper did the same thing she had done before and melted the ice before it hit her body. The blast only lasted for a few seconds this time.

"Impressive," the man said. "Let's see what else you can do."

He lifted his left hand again and this time Pepper felt her body freezing up. She tried moving but something was keeping her muscles from responding, sending her crashing down on the ground. Her temperature was still high, so the snow that had accumulated in the small patch of land beneath her melted on contact. She closed her eyes to try and free herself from the invisible cocoon that was incapacitating her, but her efforts stopped when she felt electricity surrounding her.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

The shock was not enough to kill her, but enough to make her feel pain. Her screams grew louder and louder, filling the attacker with delight. "Don't fight it, Ember. Embrace it. Embrace it and I will stop."

Pepper clenched her teeth, trying her best to keep herself from screaming. She did not want her friends to come to her aid. She knew none of them had a chance against this man. Pepper did as told and allowed the current to run through her body, and as quickly as the shock had come to her, it was gone.

She remained on the ground for a few seconds, catching her breath and strength. The glow of her body had diminished just a little, but she was still strong enough to turn to her side and stand up. She expected the man to attack her once more, but instead he watched her with an interested eye.

"You're so close to being ready. You're going to be worshipped, you know? Just like me."

Pepper inhaled deeply, licking her lips as she did so. She opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of incoming repulsors made her heart stop.

_No, not him._

xxxXXXxxx

The scream was all it took to send him over the edge. His overactive mind was flooded with images of Pepper being tortured by whatever was causing her to yelp so such. Was she outnumbered? Was she dying? Would he make it in time?

His questions were answered when his night vision showed Pepper standing in an open field with two red laser beams cutting through her body. The sound that came out of Iron Man's mouth was one not even he recognized.

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper looked down to her body. She had felt her heart stop and she had associated it with her fear of bringing Tony into this battle, but it was actually her heart literally stopping. From the attacker's hands, two red beams had emerged. One was burning through her heart and the other was making a hole in her throat.

She sputtered blood and her vision became blurry before her body gave out. She would have hit the ground had it not been for Tony's strong arms around her.

"No, Pepper! Don't give up!" he told her, helping her body reach the ground and giving his back to the merchant of her death. He lifted his faceplate to have a better look at her condition, but the sight of her only made his rage grow.

"I told you not to do anything stupid! I told you to be careful!"

"Tony?" was her gargled response before her eyes closed and her body became dead weight.

"NO! NO! NO! Pepper, come on! I'm sorry I called you stupid! Wake up, please! Oh, God! Please wake up!" He shook her wildly, but it was no use. His mind searched for answers, a possibility, that the Extremis would fast act on the wounds, but he was not given the chance to reflect on it for long.

"I've been waiting for you, Tony Stark."

Tony lowered his faceplate and after giving Pepper a last look, he stood up and turned around to face the man in front of him. The figure levitated closer to the billionaire, pushed back his cloak, and lowered the cloth on his face.

Tony's mouth fell, recognizing the man before him. "Trevor?"

The Mandarin growled. "Do not confuse me with that filth! He who took my name and my face, and made a mockery of my power!"

"Your name? Are you…The Mandarin?"

"In the flesh," he answered before raising his right fist and aiming it at Tony. The beam of light blinded him just long enough to prevent Iron Man from protecting himself from the Mandarin's next attack.

Tony screamed when he felt the suit being crushed against him, sending him to all fours. His system was flashing red all over the place, and Jarvis told him the pressure limit was being breached. "Jarvis…let loose…"

Not bothering to complain, Jarvis disabled all bolts the suit of armor had, allowing Tony to shake the suit off his body. He flung his arms to either side, and the armor began falling apart. Little by little, the pressure on his body subsided and finally stopped when Tony was left without the protection of his suit.

Still on all fours, Tony looked up, catching his breath and staring at the smirking Mandarin. "You…you're really not Trevor, are you?"

Tony looked over his shoulder to stare at Pepper, still unconscious on the ground. He felt hot tears fill his eyes, the realization that he could not do much for her finally dawning on him. He returned his gaze to the Mandarin and swallowed the lump of desperation in his throat.

"What do you want?" Tony asked, his next question silenced by the feeling of an electrical shock surrounding his body. Tony clenched his teeth and fists, but refused to pass out from the pain. Pepper was just a few feet away from her, and S.H.I.E.L.D. was less than 10 minutes from destination. He just had to hold on a little longer so that Pepper could be saved.

"Tell me what you want! A news broadcast?" He asked again just before his face hit the ground, pushed down by some force on his back. Tony struggled to lift himself from the ground, his hands digging into the soft dirt as he did so. "A house on a cliff?" he continued. He hit the ground again, but again he lifted himself up.

"A fortune cookie?"

Another push on Tony's back was the Mandarin's only response, but the billionaire refused to be defeated and lifted his head again. "Just tell me what you want to spare her, and I'll give it to you."

"There's nothing you can trade for her life."

"No!" Tony yelled. "There must be something, something you want!"

"That's the thing, Tony Stark. It is _her_ I want."

"Well…_fuck you_…it is _her_ you _can't_ have!" Tony said, lifting his head and piercing the now shocked Mandarin with his eyes; Tony's orange-glowing eyes.

xxxXXXxxx

Rhodey felt his head pounding and his body screaming in pain, but he still forced his eyes to open. His head moved from side to side, taking in his surroundings while he remembered where he was. He lifted his upper body and it was then he realized his helmet was gone. He looked down at himself and his eyes widened when he saw Clint and Natasha on the ground a few feet from them.

"NO!"

The scream caught Steve and Bruce by surprise, who were tending to Coulson and had been giving their backs to the General. "Rhodey, clam down!"

"Calm down? Are they alive? And what the hell is wrong with my leg?" he added when he could not get up.

"You probably broke it, and Natasha and Clint are alive. Just passed out."

Rhodey's eyes then fell on Phil and it was then he turned to his side and threw up all over the place. As War Machine heaved the contents of his stomach, the other two Avengers squinted their eyes toward the sky when they heard the sounds of an aircraft approaching them.

xxxXXXxxx

"You! What have you done?" The Mandarin asked when he noticed Tony's body beginning to glow as his soldiers did. "You are not supposed to have that power in you! You're NOT worthy of it!"

"Sue… me." Tony said, getting up and running toward the Mandarin with a closed hand. The swiftness of the move surprised the enemy, and Tony was able to land a punch to the Mandarin's face. The impact felt to the Mandarin more intense than what a normal man could have conjured, confirming to him that Tony had injected himself with the Extremis virus, albeit an impure version of it.

When Tony tried to take another hit at Pepper's attacker, the Mandarin created a force field around himself just as he had before to protect himself from the flames of the explosions and Pepper's fire blast. Tony's fist and leg hit the invisible wall and sent him flying back toward the ground.

"Son of a bitch," Tony mumbled as he pushed himself up from ground. "That's cheating! Let me kick your ass like the old man you are!"

"Tough talk coming from a man who hides himself behind a suit of armor."

"You're one to talk, using a shield I can't see!"

The Mandarin snickered. "You want me to remove the shield and fight you? Do you have a death wish, Tony Stark?"

Tony opened his mouth to speak but felt a hot liquid sliding down his upper lip. He took his hand to his face and wiped it off only to see it was blood. He knew his face had hit the ground one too many times just now, but the amount of blood did not match the hit.

"See?" The Mandarin teased. "I told you, you were not worthy of our kind."

"W-worthy?" Tony said as he felt his throat fill with blood. He tried to swallow it down but it was coming up in waves, making Tony send his hands flying to his neck. _What is happening to me?_

The Mandarin saw his opportunity to strike and he did so. In the blink of an eye he flew toward Tony and picked him up by his neck, further blocking the intake of oxygen to his lungs. Tony's legs tried to hit the man before him on any spot he could, but his muscles were not responding as fast as they should. The Mandarin's arm flung Tony to the air, and when Tony's body was about to land back on the ground, his enemy kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying and skidding on the ground until he stopped.

"You are no match for me. You and your primitive technology are nothing compared to the knowledge of the Makluan!"

Tony rolled to his side and continued until he was face down. He began using his forearms to slide his body away from the incoming threat behind him, even though he knew his efforts were in vain.

"You will not make it out alive! I am tired of your existence; your bane existence. The Makluan have rejected you, so you must perish now."

Stark tried his best to keep moving but he felt his body was losing too much blood. He stared at his bloodied arms and realized that his pores had begun sweating blood; the Mandarin was right: the modified Extremis virus he had injected himself with before leaving his basement was rejecting him, big time.

_Must…keep…going_, the billionaire thought, counting down the minutes to Fury's appearance. He only had to keep up his misery for a couple more minutes before…

Before everything went dark around him by the command of one of the rings of power being used behind him.

"Good bye, Tony Stark," the Mandarin said, chuckling to himself until a fist made a hole in his stomach.

"Leave…him…alone…"

xxxXXXxxx

Bruce watched as the medical crew was at work around Natasha. They had deemed the others as non-critical for now, and were concentrating on resuscitating the assassin. He was grateful that Barton was still asleep; otherwise he did not imagine the additional difficulty the doctors would have if an arrow was pointed to the backs of their heads, and being threatened to bring the woman back to life or face the consequences.

The other agents were busy at work, flying the jet toward the direction of the last blinking, red dot on the map. By Steve's account, Pepper had been left behind fighting a group of Extremis –the same ones that had injured Coulson, and Tony had gone off in her direction not long ago.

Unfortunately, the screams heard from afar and the lack of communication between Tony's suit and the Quinjet left little hope of finding any of them alive.

"We found them!" one of the agents screamed, and Bruce felt the craft descend. The back door opened immediately and he followed the small group of doctors that ran down the ramp. Before him, lay a bloody Pepper Potts, holding in her arms an even bloodier Tony Stark. His suit was scattered all over the place, and remnants of snow surrounded the couple.

Bruce reached the two of them, and Tony's unblinking eyes scared the doctor out of his shock. "Pepper! What happened?"

Pepper looked up from Tony and stared at Banner. "He's gone, Bruce. Tony's gone!"

The last thing Pepper remembered before passing out herself was the look of terror on Rhodey's face when Iron Man's body was wheeled inside the Quinjet.

* * *

**A/N:** So, we're done with the past chapters, and it is all future from now. I need to get back to work mode for this week, but maybe if enough motivation comes around (coffee + reviews), we may see another batch of chapters next weekend. Thanks for reading/reviewing/favoring and all!


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16  
**

Bruce returned his attention to Pepper and gave her a reassuring smile while stealing glances at Tony's form behind her. "So, you're gonna take a break?" he walked closer to her. "It's about time. You saved me the trouble of dragging you out of there."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "I didn't know I inherited all of Tony's babysitters," she jested, which caused Tony to smile. It was bittersweet for Bruce, but he pretended that the joke was funny instead of painful for him, knowing what knew about Tony's status. "What do you have planned to help him, anyway?"

"It's simple," he began as he took out a couple of pills from his pants pocket. When Pepper furrowed her brows at him he shrugged. "It's my nausea medicine. I'm still feeling the effects of the tear gas or whatever it was," he lied. "Do you mind if I take a sip of it? Is it any better?" Bruce casually took Pepper's protein shake from her hands and walked away with it when she agreed to share her drink.

"Good enough to swallow some pills but it's still terrible," she conceded as she walked up to Natasha and stared down at her inert form. Taking advantage of her distraction, Banner removed the lid off Pepper's cup. He then pretended to drink some of it but instead dropped into her drink the quickly-dissolving pills of the same muscle relaxant he had given Barton. If Tony was indeed dead or on the verge of dying, he needed Pepper away from the room so he could work on helping him without obstructions.

After making sure Pepper was still focusing on Natasha, Bruce used the straw to stir in the pills and closed the lid. "Here," he handed back the cup to her. Pepper accepted it and immediately began drinking it again, causing Tony to roll his eyes and smack his forehead, fully aware of what Banner had just done.

"See that liquid over there?" Bruce asked as he pointed to the IV bag that contained his modified compound. "That's an altered Extremis serum. It's really about 1/3 Extremis and 2/3 other stuff. I made it to reboot Natasha's immune system so that her body can fight off the malaria."

Pepper eyed the serum with disapproving eyes. The last thing she wanted was someone else suffering for being infected by the virus she had learned to loathe. "Is it safe?"

"As safe as I can make it to be," he responded, facing Pepper in such a way he could see her and Tony both. "Have the doctors found out what's wrong with him?"

The moment Bruce finished his question Tony lifted his arm and pointed directly at Pepper. Pepper shook her head and shrugged. "Not at all. Last time they said he had suddenly developed leukemia and that was why his pores were bleeding but the tests came back negative."

"I see," Bruce began without removing his eyes from Tony. "I can see how hard it can be to find what's wrong with him. What…what do you think is wrong with him?"

Again, Tony lifted his hand and pointed at Pepper once more. Pepper took a deep breath and considered Bruce's question for an instant, absentmindedly running her hand over Natasha's strands. Even though she and the assassin had not begun their relationship on the best of terms, she had grown fond of her. Tony was her main concern, true, but she also feared the worst would befall the Widow.

"I really don't know." Pepper finally answered. "The guy we fought was very strong and had –I don't know what to call them – magical powers, I guess. Maybe he put a curse on Tony or something. I don't believe in witchcraft but you never know with these crazy people."

Tony shook his head and again pointed his finger at Pepper once more. Bruce was at a loss; it was clear to him that Pepper did not have the answer he was looking for, regardless of how much Tony insisted she did. "Well, why don't you finish that," he said as he pointed to the drink, "and rest and we'll talk about it more when you wake up."

"Sounds good. Rhodey's watching over Tony, so if you need anything from him just ring him up. Do you have his number?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Alright. Wake me up if something happens, OK?" Pepper walked away from Natasha but not before she squeezed her hand. "Hang in there, Natalie. Clint needs you; we all do."

Both Bruce and Tony followed with their eyes the path that Pepper took to leave the room. When Bruce returned his attention to Tony, he was gone.

xxxXXXxxx

Rhodey felt his phone vibrating inside his pocket. He dug his hand inside his pants, took out his phone, and was surprised to see Bruce's name on his screen. He flipped open his phone and whispered on it. "Rhodes."

_"Rhodey, are you with Tony?"_

"Yeah," the General answered, staring at Tony's form and then looking over his shoulder. "Why?"

_"Uhm…it's a…well…"_ Bruce began, unsure of how to relay his concern to Rhodey without sounding like a demented doctor. _"I'm with Natasha and I'm trying something on her to see if I can help her. I'd like to try it on Tony, too, if it works."_

Rhodey perked up at the knowledge that Natasha had a chance to survive, and that Tony could too. "Are you serious? Is Natasha awake?"

_"Not yet, but I'm hoping in a few days she'll wake up. While I wait for her, though, I need you to do me a favor."_

"Shoot."

_"I need some medical tests done on Tony, as in now."_

"More tests? The doctor just checked on him about an hour ago. No change; he's still unconscious."

_"Right,"_ Bruce responded, knowing that Tony's status had definitely changed in the last five minutes. _"I kinda need the latest data to make this work. Can you make a miracle happen?"_

"I can if you can."

_"I'll try."_

"OK. I'll bribe the doctor with some food or something, or another wet spot on the floor."

"_What?"_

"Errrr…never mind; inside joke. Anyway, do you need anything else from me?" The General asked, already feeling useful to Tony and hopeful that his old friend would return to his quirky self.

"_Actually, yes. How can I get a hold of Jarvis?"_

"Jarvis?"

"_Yeah, uhm…I'd like his help with the tests I want to run. You know how much of a Tony clone that bot is."_

Rhodey chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so. Just call the mansion. He'll pick up."

"_Oh, OK. Well, please make sure those tests get ran today."_

"I will. Where do you want them sent? Natasha's room?"

"_Nah, I'll have Jarvis hack into the system."_

Rhodey laughed aloud. "Dude, stop hanging around Tony!"

"_Who would annoy the hell out of me, then?"_

With another light chuckle, Rhodey ended the call, stood up from the chair and hauled his way out of the room to fetch the doctor to run the tests.

xxxXXXxxx

Bruce looked up from his phone and saw Tony standing across from him, on the other side of Natasha's bed, as his father had been just minutes ago. Feeling less shocked than before, Banner reached for his backpack and took out his Tony-issued laptop. He plugged it into the wall's power jack and rested it on his lap. He then flipped open his cell phone and dialed Tony's home number as he waited for the laptop to boot up. After a few rings in the phone, the expected British-accented voice picked up.

"_Stark residence, how may help you?"_

"Hey, Jarvis. It's me, Bruce," the doctor said, staring directly at Tony and seeing a smile form on the billionaire's face.

"_Doctor Banner; always a pleasure."_

"Thanks," Bruce began, still surprised at how Tony had made an AI seem so lifelike. "Jarvis, I have a favor to ask of you."

"_As long as it is within my reach, I will be happy to be of assistance."_

"I think it will be. Have you heard what happened to Tony?"

Tony shook his head.

"_I'm afraid that other than Mr. Hogan's attempts at communicating with S.H.I.E.L.D. for his whereabouts, I have been kept very much in the dark."_

"OK, well," Bruce began, staring at Tony again. "He, uhm, he's…he's dying."

Tony shrugged in a defeated manner, giving Bruce a half-smirk.

The long silence that followed the doctor's statement surprised Bruce, causing him to pull away from his phone to make sure the call was still connected. He returned the phone to his ear and spoke into it again. "Jarvis? Are you still there?"

"_I will call you back in a moment, Doctor Banner."_

"OK," was all that Bruce managed saying before the call ended. Tony closed his eyes as if in pain, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist, and in the blink of an eye he was gone again. Thirty seconds later, his cell phone rang again, but this time the caller ID read "Jarvis," rather than "Tony's Home."

"This is Banner."

"_I apologize for the rushed disconnection, Doctor Banner. I had to initiate Code IFU."_

"I…F…U?"

"_Indeed. In the event of Mr. Stark's demise –or proximity to such, I've been programmed to run Code IFU."_

"I'm afraid to ask, but what does IFU stand for?"

"_I Fucked Up."_

"You fucked up?"

"_No, Mr. Stark has. He stated that in case he placed himself in a situation where his life almost ended, it would only be due to him 'fucking up.' Hence, the name of the code."_

Banner rubbed his forehead and could not help but to chuckle. "Had he always had this plan in place, or did he do something stupid before he left the mansion to go help us on the mission."

"_Both, sir."_

"Great, of course he did. Well, I'm glad you can help me, Jarvis."

"_It is my pleasure. Your mobile phone is now connected directly to my server. Your laptop is as well, and you have access to any and all resources –monetary or otherwise, that Mr. Stark himself has at his disposition."_

"Sounds good and helpful but, can Pepper see this?"

"_Is Mrs. Stark unaware of Mr. Stark's status?"_

Bruce thought back to Tony's ghostly image that had stood before him and Pepper's belief that Tony was still just unconscious and shook his head. "You can say that, yes."

"_Please stand by…"_ the AI retorted. Bruce waited quietly while his laptop rebooted once more on its own to connect him to a secure server Pepper could not access. After a minute of holding, Jarvis spoke again.

"_Initiating Protocol SPDK."_

"SPDK? What does that do?"

"_Protocol SPDK will prevent Mrs. Stark from stumbling upon our communication and work."_

"What does it stand for?" Bruce asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"_Shit! Pepper Doesn't Know."_

Bruce slapped his forehead when his mind put the two codenames together. "So, in case Tony died or is dying, he created two codes to say: 'I fucked up and, shit, Pepper doesn't know?'"

"_Indeed. He also created a code in case she did find out, but it is a rather unpleasant one."_

"You know what, Jarvis? I rather not know."

"_I understand. Although, I am required to inform you that your assistance is needed in case Mrs. Stark does find out about Mr. Stark's death."_

"Fuck."

xxxXXXxxx

The containment cell had become rather boring for him as of late. Since Pepper had been implanted with the chip that prevented him from seeing through her eyes, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with what happened outside his S.H.I.E.L.D. cave. Cable television was becoming repetitive and the news did not cover the missions the Avengers partook in, which made his stay even more ineffective than he would have wanted it to be.

_He's gonna kill me if I don't have Pepper ready soon._

Killian's train of thought was halted when the door to his cell opened. He expected to see one of his usual visitors –minus Pepper, since he could tell that even though she was on the premises, she was not near him – but instead an agent he had never had contact with walked in.

The man stood a few feet away from Killian's sitting form, looking at him up and down before he spoke. "You don't seem as dangerous as I've been informed you are."

Killian chuckled. "You have a lot of nerve coming here to see me like this. I can burn you to ash if I want to."

"Do not let your eyes cloud your judgment, servant."

Aldrich narrowed his eyes at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, stealing another look at his form. He seemed like the typical bridge employee and not one that was used to working in the actual field. Surely, Fury was not stupid enough to send a low-ranking agent to speak with a high-profile criminal as he. "Who sent you here?"

"You know who. He grows impatient. He wishes to exact revenge on you."

Killian swallowed hard, exhaling slowly to calm his nerves. It was evident to him now that the man standing in front of him was _not_ the man standing in front of him. "The Source is learning fast. She will be ready soon. I plan to escort her to his mansion myself."

The agent scoffed. "How exactly do you plan to accomplish this? You're locked up in this cage."

"It was metaphorical. She will go there herself, without knowing what awaits her, but only when she's ready."

The agent smirked at Killian. He then joined his hands behind his back and stared at the prison around them. "I was once in a cage, too; without all your amenities, of course. This cage, however, won't protect you from his wrath. Whatever you had planned to exchange for your life is not enough now; not anymore."

"What does he want now?"

"For you to hurry up. He challenged her a few days ago, in a short battle. She was formidable, but still unprepared."

Aldrich swallowed again. "I can help with that."

"Can you? He knows what you think. He knows what you plan. Did you really think that preparing her and using her as barter for your life was going to persuade him from killing you? You stole from him."

"I didn't…" Killian began but stopped. "I did what he asked me to do."

"But you didn't deliver the results you promised."

"I was testing the product…"

"And using his name; he is not thrilled about that part."

"Look, he obviously still needs me for something or he would've killed me by now. He has the books, and I'm sure he can get a hold of my work with me locked up in here."

"He can, and he has."

"So, are you here to kill me?"

The agent shook his head. "Me? No. I'm just here to deliver his message to you."

"Which is?"

"In his own words: 'Sit tight. I am watching you.'"

"You could've said that as soon as you got here."

"I know; but that's not how I operate."

"How do you operate, then?"

"You'll see," Agent _Galaga_ said before turning around and leaving Aldrich Killian to stew in the possibility of facing his own worst fear: facing the real Mandarin once more.

xxxXXXxxx

His neck was stiff from sleeping in the chair, and his back would bitch at him for days for the same reason, but he would have not had it any other way. He had grown accustomed to sleeping by his Widow's side, even if it meant in different pieces of furniture, just as now.

Barton yawned loudly as he pulled the blanket away from himself and dumped it on the table next to him. He then stood up from the chair and stretched his arms above his head, feeling and hearing his bones pop into place. As he lowered his arms, he stared at his watch and cursed when he realized he had been asleep for nearly 12 hours.

"Good morning, Barton," the usual monotone voice of Bruce said from his position by Natasha's bed. The archer nodded to him as he walked to stand on the opposite side of the bed. He bent down and kissed the redhead's forehead and was glad to feel her temperature was back to normal.

"She's not burning up anymore."

"No, no, she isn't," Bruce said with a smile. "She's taking onto the compound faster than I expected. Her fever is gone and her liver and kidneys are working again."

Hawkeye smacked his right cheek twice and then pinched his left cheek before allowing a smile to form on his face_. Nope, not dreaming. _"She's getting better?"

"In a sense, yes. I don't want to get too excited about it, but the latest tests look very promising."

Bruce knew he needed a mop to wipe the smile off the archer's face. The doctor recognized the look on Barton as he stared down at the redhead and took it as his cue to give the couple a moment alone. "Hey, I'm gonna go check on Tony. Do you mind watching over her?"

"But, what if…"

"She should be fine. It's only a few minutes," Bruce responded, already standing up from his chair. He closed the laptop so that it would lock itself, and placed it on the table next to Natasha's bed. "Oh, and next time you don't listen to me when I tell you to sleep, I'll give you twice the dose I gave you last time."

Hawkeye snickered; he should have known Bruce had his way of making people do what was best for them. Anyone who thought Bruce Banner was not as powerful as the Hulk –at least in his own way – had another thing coming to them. As the doctor reached the door, the archer calling his name made him stop.

"Bruce, thank you."

Banner gave Hawkeye an honest smile, feeling satisfied with himself. Tony Stark was right, damn him; Bruce had survived his accident for a reason; a damned good reason.

xxxXXXxxx

"Come in," Fury responded to the knock on his office door. Maria and he were schedule to have a debriefing in about five minutes regarding the events that took place in the Congo. He never liked to do paperwork and had always relied on his agents to do so for him, but the feeling of guilt was eating away at him, so he had arranged for him and Maria to do the tedious job this time around.

"Sir," Maria greeted her Director as she locked the door behind her before approaching his desk, laptop in her hand. She pulled up a chair to sit across from him by his desk, and Fury pulled up his own laptop. Before long, they were both logged into the S.H.I.E.L.D. reporting servers and ready to partially lie their asses off to protect the battered Avengers.

"Do you want to do Rogers?"

Maria's eyes widened at Fury's question, and she felt the faint sensation of a light blush hitting her when she realized what Fury had meant by his question –and realizing it had not been what she had thought he had asked. "I can, since I've been speaking with him, and Coulson, too," cleared her throat.

"I'll take…" Fury began, scrolling down the list. "Barton, Pepper, and Banner."

"What about Natasha and Tony?"

"You take Romanoff and I'll take Stark. We'll just fill out their current health status and that they are not available to be debriefed at the moment."

"I take it we aren't mentioning anything about Natasha's Extremis treatment?"

"Didn't think I needed to tell you that, and how do you even know about that?"

"I went to check up on her and Banner told me."

Fury eyed his second-in-command as if measuring her loyalties. He knew any dirt she could dig up on him would get her his seat. She had had plenty of opportunities in the past to throw him under the bus –especially after the battle in New York – but so far she had passed on every single one. When she rolled her eyes at his incessant staring, Fury relaxed.

"You'll be a good director one day, Hill."

"I'll have to kill you first," she retorted with a smirk.

"Maybe…maybe not," returning her smile.

They worked in silence for a while, exchanging information and rewriting their reports several times until they sounded satisfactory for the Council's small minds. They both knew that the Council would never run out of questions, but the least amount of conflicting information they received, the more willing the members would be to accept whatever preliminary reports Fury and Hill sent their way.

"Sir, there's something that has been bothering me," Maria stated as she continued to type her report about the profile of the attackers.

"What is it?"

"Well, we are reporting that the Avengers were ambushed by two generations of Extremis soldiers. However, I believe we were all under the impression that Pepper was the only remaining 2.0 soldier, at least after her family was deemed clean of the virus."

Fury took in a deep breath, pushing his back against his chair and nodding. "It's been bugging me, too. Killian said that there were no other 2.0 soldiers out there, but Tony counted at least two hundred. I'm still waiting on the finalized lab results but Banner estimates that those soldiers had not been infected for longer than a few weeks."

Maria exhaled. "Which means that either Killian lied to us –which wouldn't be unlike him; or, there is someone out there who has found out how to replicate the virus."

"If someone did figure out how to create more soldiers, we're in deep shit. Who knows how many more are out there, and Pepper hasn't been able to learn how to find them yet, so we still need Aldrich's help."

"That virus took him years to develop," Maria argued. "I doubt there's someone out there who figured it out just like that. He _must _be lying to us."

"Clearly," Fury conceded. "But the real question here is: if he lied, _why_ did he lie? If he's trying to buy his ticket out of here by shutting down my team, he's not as smart as I thought he was. Then again, I think being locked up is getting to him."

"What do you mean?" Hill asked, stopping her typing to look up at Fury. The Director stood up from his chair and walked around the desk. He reached the wall behind them and pressed the button needed to lower the projection screen. As the screen slowly descended, Fury returned to his desk and sat in his chair.

Once the screen was completely pulled down, Nick took out a remote control from his desk's top drawer to turn on the projector on the wall. The machine took a moment to come to life, and once it did, Fury pressed the play button on the remote.

"This was sent to me just before you came in. It's a video feed of Killian's cell. Tell me what you see."

Maria turned completely to face the large projection, watching the video intently. She was taken aback by a movement on the screen which prompted her to stand up from her chair and walk closer to the wall. "Can you rewind that?"

Fury did as asked and replayed the video, knowing exactly what Maria was trying to discern for herself. A few seconds later, Hill turned around to face her Director with a confused look he himself had worn on his face just a while ago.

"Sir," Maria began. "Why is Killian talking to himself?"

"That, Deputy Hill, is the billion-dollar question."

Maria returned her attention to the screen as Fury replayed the scene once more, leaving them with more questions than answers; questions that they knew the Council would ask of them, and they had no idea how to answer themselves.

* * *

**A/N:** No cliffy this time! Again, thank you for your patience! Let's see what I come up with next! (No, I do not work for Willy Wonka).


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Pepper opened her eyes slowly and attempted to keep her eyelids up but they came crashing down to a close. She felt like her body weighed a ton. Her muscles were tingling as if numb, her mouth was dry. The temptation of falling back to sleep was tremendous until she remembered where she was: her and Tony's room at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

_Tony._

The private room had been hardly used since its inception. These past few days had been the most service it had provided the couple and kids in months. Tony and Pepper did not stay on the base for longer than needed, and most of those times the reason for their visit had been running tests on the twins for detection of the Extremis virus, which did not even require them to visit the room at all.

Whenever Tony visited the base without the kids, he'd spent his time at the lab with Bruce. Whenever Pepper visited the base without Tony, she alternated between the training room, the meditation room, and Killian's cell.

_Killian._

Pepper had a word or two to exchange with the man, and she had been saving up a few punches as well. However, she had been unable to release some much needed stress on Aldrich due to her main concern being Tony since their return from the Congo mission. She needed answers, and she was sure Fury needed them too, particularly regarding the blindside sentiment she felt regarding the knowledge that other soldiers like her were out there –and they were out for the killing. It was obvious to everyone that the mission had been an ambush, but by whom it was yet to be determined.

Ignoring the sensation of the room spinning around her, she pushed herself up. She looked to where the babies' cribs lay, and she was happy to see them both asleep. They had not been there when she went to bed, so it was clear to her that Ms. Smith had sneaked it at some point to drop off the tired children.

Pepper sat on the edge of the bed and covered her face with her hands. Save for the random cooing of the toddlers, the room was eerily quiet. She could not think of one time the four of them had all shared the living quarters at the same time, even if just for a quick nap. The dread that they would never get the chance to use the room as a family –all four of them, sunk deep inside of her. It was then that the tears found their way to her eyes.

She had been crying for Tony for who knew how long, but not like she was crying now. She was crying for many reasons, and the pressure of all the horrible things that could happen to her little family was finally coming out of control. What if Tony did die? What if the twins developed Extremis and blew up? What if she lost control of the virus and died, as well? Who would watch over the kids? Her parents? What if whatever was coming after the Avengers came after her parents, her brother?

What if she was never meant to be happy, just as Tony had feared all along? The memory of their conversation came to her, laughing at the irony of it all, and forcing her to make a silent promise to herself to never downplay the worries of her husband ever again.

_Tony exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes and lifting his hands to hold onto her linked ones on his chest. He rested the back of his head on her, taking in a deep breath to fill his nostrils with the scent of her perfume._

_ "I'm so frustrated, Pepper." He finally said shifting his body so that his head hung and his eyes were covered by his fists, putting the weight of his head on his bent arms. "Why can't we catch a break?"_

_ Pepper pulled away from him, twirling the swivel chair so that he faced her. She sat on his lap as he remained in the chair, holding onto him by resting her forearms on his shoulders, and digging her knees in his sides without hurting him. He helped her stay in place by holding onto her waist, absentmindedly rubbing circles with his thumbs on her belly._

_ "Why do you feel that we aren't catching a break? What's really bothering you?"_

_ "Everything…and nothing, really…I, uhm, I'm not used to not being in control, Potts."_

_ "Is that all?" Pepper responded, smiling warmly at him to show that this was not news to her. "Who says you're not in control? You control your company, you control who comes to your house, you control who has access to your suit. Should I continue?"_

_ "That's not what I mean, Pep. I have no say in what missions you take on for S.H.I.E.L.D. I have no control over whether my kids are gonna end up blowing themselves up thanks to the fucking virus that I probably passed on to them. I have no control over what that prick Killian does or say to you –or any other prick you encounter on missions, for that matter. All I can do is sit here; pray that I can find a cure for my kids, for…for __**you**__, so you don't have to be responsible for cleaning up someone else's mess. I just…I finally have everything I love in one place, but I don't feel that I can keep it with me for long. I feel I'm gonna lose it somehow, and there isn't a damned thing I can do about it."_

_I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry I doubted you._

She hung her head and kept her sobs as quiet as possible to avoid waking up her kids –_our kids_, she corrected herself. She was not sure how long she sat there crying, but she knew she needed to let it out. When her tears died down, she looked up to stare at her kids once more and a second round of tears appeared. This time she cried for them; for the unstable life they were living. Even if the twins did not really understand what was happening around them, she was sure she and Tony (well, mostly her) owed them some major quality time together. They had already had a rough welcoming to the world; they deserved so much better than being raised by a babysitter.

_I'm quitting. After I stop these soldiers, I'm quitting the Avengers._

It was just too much for her; for all of them.

Her eyes stared at the nightstand, particularly at the alarm clock on it, and she became shocked that she had slept for more than a full day. She had not meant to sleep more than just a couple of hours, maybe four, tops, but it appeared that her body had been even more tired than she had thought.

She got up from the bed, wiping her face with the back of her hands, and walked toward the bathroom. She carefully opened and closed the door behind her before heading to the shower. She had already cleaned up before she napped –or passed out, whatever – but she felt the need to wash away her red face. She knew that if something happened to Tony, she would be notified of it, so in this case no news meant good news. Or, maybe just no news.

She took off her clothes and jumped into the enclosure. She turned the faucet on and tried her best to relax under the hot water, going as far as closing her eyes and not moving at all. Finally, after what felt like hours to her, she began cleaning up. Fifteen minutes later, she was dried, dressed and ready to go downstairs to watch over Tony once more. She gave her kids a quick glance as she picked up her cell phone and texted Ms. Smith that she was leaving the kids in her room, but that they were asleep.

Taking one last deep breath and a look in the mirror, she locked the door behind her and made her way to the ICU.

xxxXXXxxx

"That idiot!" Bruce said, hitting his knee with his fist and causing Rhodey to jump in his seat. "That's what he was trying to tell me! Ugh!"

Banner's mini rant was interrupted by Rhodey clearing his throat, clearly wanting to know what was so terrible that made the usually calm doctor lose his cool.

"I'm sorry," Bruce apologized. "I just…I think I know why Tony's getting worse."

Rhodey's eyebrows shot up, and had his leg not been useless to him at the moment, he would have stood up as well to see what Banner was reading on his laptop screen. "What is it? What did you find?"

Knowing he had to leave the details of Tony's ghost form appearing to him – just as he was now behind the unsuspecting General – Bruce went for the next best thing; Jarvis.

"Jarvis sent me the logs of what Tony did before he came to rescue us in the Congo. It seems the injected himself with one of his Extremis prototypes."

Rhodey rubbed his face with his palms, shaking his head as he did so. "OK, I'm confused. Isn't that thing supposed to make you uber-strong and shit?"

Bruce shrugged. "Not necessarily. The original virus –the one Killian developed with Maya Hansen's help, tackles a specific part of the brain that is not being used by the human body. Unfortunately, only about 2.5% of the population is able to successfully respond to the virus trying to take possession of that portion of the brain by merging with the hosts' DNA."

Rhodey shook his head as if trying to aid his own brain in processing the information he had just been given. "So, Killian and Pepper are part of that 2.5%, but Tony is not? Did you test Tash before you gave it to her?" The General asked with the obvious concern that Bruce's attempts at helping the redheaded assassin were actually going to kill her.

Bruce shook his head. "Killian, Pepper, Tony and Natasha are all carrying different types of Extremis," Bruce began, which only confused Rhodey even more.

"Hold up! I thought you said there were only TWO types? Now there's more?" James asked, truly wishing he could move around freely just so he could release some of his frustration and confusion by walking. Tony, on the other hand, rolled his eyes in that way he did when people did not get science right away and opted to leave the room, holding the hand of the Calcutta Casualties and taking them with him.

_Better Tony than my dad_, Banner thought bitterly before looking back at Rhodey and clearing his throat. "Technically, there are only two types of pure Extremis: 1.0 and 2.0. As far as we knew before the Congo screw up, Killian had only created four 2.0 soldiers since he figured out a way to override the 2.5% exception the 1.0 virus has. After curing Pepper's family, she became the only person that carries the 2.0 virus with her, merging with her DNA in a rather beautiful way."

"You mean until we were ambushed by the zombie rejects in the village?"

"Right. Who made them, we just don't know. And, probably won't know until Pepper is ready to beat it out of Killian."

"And I'm gonna have a front row seat to that," Rhodey joked. He knew that if he could, he would have already used military torture techniques to get the truth out of the elusive man, but at this point, only Pepper –and maybe Hulk and Thor, wherever he was, could withstand a fight with Aldrich on his best day.

"I think we all will," Bruce acknowledged, not bothering to show his interest in seeing Killian pay for what he had almost done to all of them. "Anyway, the basic concept of the virus has many applications; ones that don't involve turning the world's population into furnace zombies. So, Tony being who he is…"

"Started to mess with the code. Damn! That man doesn't learn!"

"Don't we know that too well. But, I have to give it to him. If it wasn't for his incessant meddling, I wouldn't have dug up the compound that is helping Natasha fight the malaria."

"OK. So, Aldrich has 1.0; Pepper has 2.0; Natasha has some modified of the 1.0, I assume. What does Tony have?"

"He…" Bruce hesitated, not being fond of cussing for the sake of doing so but, finding there were no other words to describe what the billionaire did to himself he just went out and said what was in his mind. "He has shit for brains, sometimes. That's what he has. That, and well, a modified 1.0/2.0."

"Of his own creation, I assume?"

"Yeah. You see, we don't have the actual serum to create the 2.0. All we know of it comes from the DNA samples we took from Pepper's family and from Pepper herself. The samples we took from Pepper are practically useless since the virus has mixed in with Pepper's blood to the point that it's hard to distinguish what's what. The samples in Pepper's family were more divided, but it only helped us learn that the virus is pretty much not at its best until it merges completely with the host. We weren't able to determine what was virus and what was normal from the initial contamination samples, so we were left to fill in the gaps."

"Which is what Tony had been doing behind S.H.I.E.L.D.'s back?"

"Yeah," Banner said with a sigh. "He knew he was not compatible with a pure 1.0 Extremis, but he had used a modified version to connect his suit with his body, so he assumed he was receptive to a modified virus. The 2.0 is definitely more stable than its predecessor, so he was trying to find a way to create a middle ground between the adaptability of the 2.0 and the origin of the 1.0 so that he could use it."

"Use it? Use it for what?"

"For Pepper," Bruce answered in a tone that made him sound as if it was the obvious reason for any of Tony's actions. "He wants to cure Pepper. He doesn't want her to fight anymore."

When Rhodey remained silent and stared at Tony's form on the bed, Bruce took it as an invitation to continue. "He thought that if he was able to figure out the origin of the 2.0 and use it on himself he would be able to monitor its progress and eventually extrapolate the pattern to find a way to reverse the effects. He didn't want Fury to know about it because then…well, you know S.H.I.E.L.D."

Rhodey nodded, still not removing his eyes from his friend. "So, if he was trying to cure Pepper, why did he inject himself with it?"

"My guess is that it was out of desperation. I mean, you said he saw her almost die under his own Black Ice invention. Then the explosions came and…I think…I think it was just too much for him. I think he just wanted to boost his chances of saving her; his suit is no match for these 2.0 soldiers, and he knows it. I honestly hope that Tony never has to go without Pepper; I'm afraid of what he might do then."

Rhodey's eyes finally left Tony and faced Bruce once more, his own concern for Pepper and Tony reflected back at him from Banner's eyes. "So, can you help him?"

"Yeah. I was already thinking giving him the same serum I gave Natasha, thinking he might had picked up some rare African disease or something, but now I know for certain his body is rejecting the virus he injected himself with. That's why his body is shutting down; why he sweated blood. The virus, it poisoned his blood, just what leukemia does. That's why the doctors thought he had cancer."

"It's been almost a week. Do you think it will make any difference at this point? I don't want Pepper to have false hope."

"What false hope?" came the female voice from the door. Bruce and Rhodey stared at Pepper, standing by the entrance, furrowing her brows at them, waiting for an explanation of what she had just heard.

Bruce groaned inside, knowing Code SPDK was about to end in utter failure.

xxxXXXxxx

The Mandarin had been left alone since his return from the battle against The Source. While he had been thrilled to see that their calculation that she still needed three months to be at her peak were wrong, and that she would be ready in only a few more weeks, he had also had time to ponder about his original plans. Ember – the translation of the name of the person who had played her future role in past Makluan history – was more vicious than he had anticipated. There was no way that his original idea of possessing her to make her walk into his lair was going to work. He had tried to take control over her, but something had kept him from doing so.

_It was that man; that disgraceful man_, the Mandarin thought of Tony. He knew the billionaire was more resourceful than he let on, and the Mandarin attributed his inability to control Pepper to something Tony must have concocted in his lab. If the circumstances had been different, the Mandarin might have considered keeping Tony around; he was good with science and engineering, traits that the Mandarin possessed and admired himself.

However, things were not different, and Tony was an obstacle to get rid of. He had been putting it off, thinking the task would be so simple, so mundane, it had not required his immediate attention. He was no longer certain about that.

During their fight, the Mandarin had been so sure that he could end Iron Man's interference in his plans. He thought Pepper was down for the count, and that her powers –what Killian called Extremis, would have taken longer to get her back on her feet. He had been wrong; he had underestimated her, and it had nearly cost the Mandarin his life.

_All to save that man's pathetic life._

The Mandarin's eyes drifted to the opening doors of his quarters to see his top-ranking servant approaching him, her head down. "Sir, my Lord, I bring news from our eyes and ears, and from our guest."

"What is it?"

"We've been able to infiltrate the base of S.H.I.E.L.D. The traitor has been warned of his fate. Ember is completely recovered, and her protector is on the verge of death," she said, still not being able to face her Lord before adding to her debriefing. "Our guest wonders when his real part in the plan will take place."

"Soon. Very soon. Sooner than we had anticipated, I believe."

The servant nodded before clearing her throat. "The guest…inquires…" the servant began, unsure of how to proceed with the question she had been tasked to ask.

"What is it?"

"The guest inquires if he's able to continue his mingling at the base. He is certain he has not been spotted as of yet."

Without hesitation, the Mandarin nodded his approval. "He's been rather helpful. Allow him free range of the base. It will keep him occupied until the time comes."

"Yes, my Lord," the servant said before bowing down at him and leaving the room in a haste.

_The world needs to be rid of the filth, _the Mandarin thought_, starting with Tony Stark._

xxxXXXxxx

Bruce had stopped by Natasha's room a few times since he had left to check up on Tony two days ago, each visit further apart than the last, and every time he did so, Clint's heart filled with more hope that his partner was going to live to tell the tale. He could already hear the stories that would come from this ordeal, certain that they would all start with the line: 'Remember the time I got malaria?'

And he would remember, indeed. It would be a long time, he knew, for him to forget the sensation of pure heartache and despair that had hit him harder than one of Thor's hammer throws. The idea of losing her, to a shitty sickness nonetheless; to the void, to where he could not follow her.

Well, at least not without some major slashing of his very own wrists.

"Natasha," he whispered, resting the side of his face on her belly and grabbing her left hand in his, pulling the chair he was sitting in as close to the edge of the bed as possible. As the compound Bruce had given her had worked its way inside her body, the once crowded room was becoming more spacey as machines had been removed from her. Even the artificial respirator was gone, and only the IV line and the heartbeat monitor remained.

Hawkeye closed his eyes, concentrated on the rise and fall of her stomach and synced his breathing with hers. He had done the same thing for hours now, leaving the room only to relieve himself. Maria had stopped by a few times to bring him a protein drink so that he would eat something, and after forcing her to take a sip of it to prove Bruce had not dropped his muscle relaxant in it again, he would drink it down in a blink.

"I'm waiting, Tasha. I'm waiting for you to keep your promise," he mumbled into her, bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing them slowly. "You promised me this was it. You promised you'd stay." Clint closed his eyes to remember the day she had uttered those words; words he never thought he would hear from her.

_Steve and Clint scrambled to their feet, looking embarrassed and upset at the same time. "Is this what lesbians are supposed to do?" Steve asked._

_ "I told you she was lying," Clint said, staring at Natasha with hurtful eyes. "And I want to know why."_

_ "Hey, Steve," Rhodey began. "Why don't we go have a talk, huh?" Steve stared at Natasha and then at Clint before he followed Rhodey to his room. The moment the door was closed behind them, Clint made his feelings known._

_ "You LIED to me," it was more of a statement than a question coming from the archer. "Why?"_

_ Natasha sighed loudly, threw her hands in the air and walked to her bed, sitting on the edge of it. "What do you mean, 'why?' What did you expect me to do, corralling me like you did? It didn't work when you barged into the shower with me. What made you think it was gonna work if you brought on Steve with you?"_

_ Clint rubbed his face with his hands, clearly frustrated with the situation. "Natasha, I…I think it's pretty clear what I expected. I expected an answer; a straightforward answer from you. I just…"_

_ "You just what, Barton?"_

_ "STOP CALLING ME BARTON!"_

_ Natasha pursed her lips, flaring her nostrils at him. She did not allow anyone to yell at her, not even Clint, but she understood his frustration. He was grasping at straws; he was going insane with doubt and pain. She knew this because she was too. "Don't scream at me."_

_ Barton exhaled, nodding an unspoken apology she accepted with one glance toward him. The silent exchange reminded him that they were not good with words for a reason; they hardly ever used them in their line of work. Maybe, just maybe, he had been approaching this all wrong. If words were not their strongest suit, then his actions would have to do the speaking for him._

_ Clint slumped his shoulders in obvious submission and walked up to her. He stood in front of her, towering over her form as he stared down at her face looking up at him for an instant, before he allowed his knees to give out from under him, sending him crashing down to the floor. Natasha followed his fall with her eyes, all anger toward his barging into her room already forgiven and forgotten. _

_ The archer placed his hands on her knees, cupping them with enough force to keep her down, but gentle enough to not hurt her frail body. He knew she could hold her own against men stronger than he, but his primitive and instinctive heart still longed to protect her, to treat her as if the slightest wind gust would break her, if only to make himself feel as if he was of some use to her._

_ When she did not make any attempt to move or push him away, he regained some of the self-assurance he had lost when she had called him by his last name again. He slowly began sliding his hands up her legs, halfway up opting to change their flat movement to sliding down her sides and circling her hips. His ears caught her hitched intake of air, giving him enough confidence to look up to stare at her face._

_ Her face showed him the conflicting emotions in her mind. She swallowed hard as he pulled himself up from the floor to rest the side of his face on her lap. He felt her hands come down to his shoulders, and he half-expected her to push him away, but instead she surrounded his neck and pulled him up. He rested his hands on her waist, helping her pull his face closer to hers._

_ His eyes pleaded with her, begged her to give him an answer, a sign that she was with him, that she felt the same way he did. He had been sure that she at least harbored some feelings that went past pure friendship, and even if they were not full-fledge feelings of love he would take what he could get._

_ Her eyes looked down to his lips, and he closed his when he felt her mouth on his. The kiss was chaste at first, but immediately intensified when he pulled her closer to him and picked her up from the bed and the floor, altogether. She balanced herself by clinging to his neck as best as she could, and he pressed her body to his to keep her from falling._

_ Once the kissing ended, he carefully dropped her back on the floor but never let go of his grip on her. She loosened up her embrace around his shoulders and neck, but still kept her arms around him. He bent down to kiss her forehead and all over her face before whispering to her. "Don't play me, Nat. Don't give it and take it away. I don't think I can…"_

_ "No, Clint," she began, returning some of the kisses on his face. "I'm staying. I'm not going anywhere. This is it. Just don't expect me to…"_

_ "I know," he said. "I know," he repeated, reassuring her he was not expecting her to say the words. She was not there yet, and he understood._

_ "Clint?"_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Clint?"_

_ "Yes?"_

_ "Clint, is that you?"_

Clint opened his eyes, realizing that the last three calls of his name were not part of his memory. They had come from reality; from within the room. He looked towards the door to find it closed. He lifted his head from her stomach and looked around. They were still alone, and Bruce was not due until…

"Clint?"

This time, the sound was unmistakable; it was Natasha's voice. "N-Nat?"

She opened her eyes and smiled, hearing the tone of relief and disbelief in his voice. She squeezed the hand he had forgotten he was still holding and it was this simple gesture that undid the assassin within.

Clint Barton let out a sob.

"Natasha," he whispered, afraid that raising his voice would scare her away. He stood up from the chair and bent down to kiss her cheeks and forehead, and finally her lips. Natasha closed her eyes and returned the kiss as much as she could with her still hazy state. Finally, Barton pulled away from her, but kept his hold on her hand. "We thought…I thought…you weren't…"

Natasha chuckled. "No shit, Hawk. I feel like if I went into battle in Budapest all over again."

Clint snorted despite the tears in his eyes. "Budapest? Really? Like I said before, you and I remember Budapest so goddamned differently," he responded, earning him a light giggle from the redhead.

"Well, what I tried to say is that I feel like shit; everything hurts. What happened to me?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"I mean other than the soldiers?"

Clint shrugged, not knowing what happened after he had passed out. "There were some grenades and then…I don't know, fucking giants river-dancing on us for all I remember."

Natasha tried to laugh out loud at his comment, but the pain in her ribs reminded her she still had a long way to recovery. "How long have I been out?"

"Too fucking long, but don't worry about that."

Natasha nodded, closing her eyes as she felt her body waking up with her and starting to hurt. "Any chance you can do me a favor?"

"What is it? Anything; what do you need?"

"Two things," Natasha said through clenched teeth. "First, get some morphine in here. Everything hurts."

"OK, let me text Banner. Maybe he has some mutated, super effective morphine stored up somewhere."

"OK," Natasha said before taking in a deep breath.

"And, the second?" Barton asked as his fingers flew on the keypad of his cell phone. "What else do you need?"

"Lights. Can we turn on the damn lights in here? Why the hell is it so dark?"

The dexterous texting ceased and Barton looked up to stare at Natasha's opened eyes. His hand found hers once more, squeezing it tightly when his voice failed him. He exhaled deeply to calm his nerves as he looked around himself. The quarantine room they were in was underground, so no windows were accessible. The only source of light was artificial, and currently all the lights in the room were on.

"Clint?" Natasha asked, licking her lips and blinking rapidly. When he responded only by squeezing her hand once more, she closed her eyes and squeezed back in return. "Clint…the lights…they're on, aren't they?"

Hawkeye's only response was to hold her hand with both of his.

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, Faithful Readers! The weekend is here, which brings the possibility of having another marathon of chapters like last weekend. Who is interested? Who wants more than one chapter this weekend? Who? Who?


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Pati G W Black! Happy Birthday to you!

AND MANY MOOOOOOOOOREEEEEE!

Thanks all for the response. As promised, the marathon continues as long as you ask for it :)

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Pepper's face was unreadable, staring down at Tony's form on the bed. She looked up to face Rhodey –who was by the foot of the bed – and then Bruce –who was to Pepper's right, his back to the bed, before swallowing hard and taking a deep breath. She was having a difficult time coming up with a retort to Bruce's confession of Tony's attempts at curing her, which had led to his impromptu guinea pig status due to an unfinished serum he had used on himself. She licked her lips and hung her head, taking long, calming deep breaths.

She tried to hide her sniffle but she was unsuccessful. This was more difficult than Bruce had anticipated, and he had not even heard the steps needed to be taken during the execution of Code TPIS: _Tell Pepper I'm Sorry._

"Pepper, we can still…there's time…" Bruce's attempt at engaging her in communication worked. Pepper looked up to face him, the biting on her bottom lip keeping her from screaming out how stupid Tony had been to test a volatile virus on himself. She sniffled again – this time not attempting to hide it –as she closed her eyes and used her thumb and index finger to rub her eyelids. The fingers then came to rest on the bridge of her nose, pinching it as hard as she could without actually hurting herself.

"What are the chances?"

"The chances?" The General inquired, staring back and forth between Bruce and Pepper. "The chances of what?"

"At this point?" Bruce began, knowing what she was asking. "50-50. Slimmer on the positive side the longer we wait."

Pepper nodded. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling her strands slightly above her head before letting them fall to her scalp again. She stared at Tony for a moment in a way Bruce had seen Clint stare at Natasha when a similar decision was placed in his hands: a decision to put a loved one through a questionable course of treatment to attempt to save what was left of their life.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head. She laced her hands together in what seemed a gesture of a plea and rested her intertwined hands against her mouth. Her furrowed brows showed the amount of thinking that was going on in her mind; the tension in her shoulders evident by how square they looked. Bruce stared at her with pain in his eyes. The decision was up to her, and she knew the pressure was one none of them other than Clint had experienced.

Bruce's eyes caught the glimpse of the newcomer in the room, standing behind Pepper, his face as somber as hers. The doctor stole a quick glance at Tony's body and then at Rhodey, who was still looking into space as he waited Pepper's decision. Banner returned his eyes to Pepper for an instant before staring above her –behind her, to see Tony's image looking down at his wife.

Bruce could not hear Tony the way he had been able to hear his father, but he could read Tony's lips perfectly clear. As opposed to the hyperactive Tony they all knew –the one who talked as fast as he thought – this version of Tony only showed up when Pepper needed some comfort no one else could give her. He was the Tony Bruce knew existed but rarely had the chance to see. It was the Tony that had told him he had survived a freak gamma accident for a reason.

Tony's arms came up from his sides and he rested his hands on her shoulders. Bruce took a moment to read Tony's lips once more, and it was then he realized what he was saying to her.

"_Pepper, love, it's alright. It's OK to let me go."_

Pepper was not sure why, but she felt heat emanating from her shoulders. The heat was somewhat relaxing and soon her shoulders slumped with a loud exhale. Bruce shook his head at Tony, refusing to accept that he was giving up. There was still a chance to save him! Why was he asking to be left to die? The Tony he knew would have told Pepper to try. The Tony he knew would have blown up mountains to return to her. The Tony he knew would have tried anything and everything until…

Unless…

"_False hope,"_ he mouthed to Bruce before surrounding Pepper with his arms from behind, clamping down her arms in place. He then rested his head on her right shoulder, closing his eyes and rubbing the left side of his cheek on hers. He closed his eyes and stayed there, prompting Bruce to look away, thinking they needed a moment to say goodbye.

Banner's eyes drifted to the door in front of him just in time to see the Calcutta kids passing through the closed door, their hands still being held by Tony Stark's ghostly form behind them. _What the hell?_

Rhodey was snapped out of his deep thought when he heard Banner's chair scrape the floor loudly when the doctor stood up. His eyes were bewildered, and for a moment James thought he was about to go green. The General stared back and forth between Bruce and the closed door, wondering what was holding his attention so intensely. There was nothing or no one out of the ordinary in the room; it was just Pepper, Bruce, unconscious Tony, and he.

"Bruce?" Rhodey tried getting the attention of the scientist as James' eyes still danced around the room to find what it was that Banner was seeing.

What he was seeing, however, no one else could see. Even ethereal Tony was taken aback, letting go of the tiny hands that he had been holding onto during his walk around the ICU halls. He knew Bruce had seen him and the kids before, so it surprised the billionaire that his friend looked as if he was seeing him for the first time. Tony looked at the kids, who were just silently standing by a corner of the room, and then stared at Rhodey's confused face. He then looked at Pepper who was sitting still in a chair, his back to him, unmoving and quiet.

Banner's eyes returned to Pepper, and it was then he realized it was not that there were two Tony's in the room –or three, for that matter: there was only one ghostly Tony, by the door; one body of Tony, on the bed; and one pretend Tony; holding Pepper down. A pretend Tony that now looked like his father, licking Pepper's cheek and smirking at him.

"_I told you I was coming back for her,"_ Bruce heard in his mind.

"NO!" Bruce growled as he plunged toward Pepper. His father chuckled in his mind before hugging Pepper stronger than needed, causing her to gasp. Her eyes became glossy and it sounded as if she was choking. Tony was not sure what Bruce was doing, but the tint of green on his skin worried him. As he launched himself toward Banner to stop whatever he was about to do, Tony was only able to take one step forward before the pain in his chest prevented any further action from the former playboy.

He took his right hand to the left side of his chest, and if there had been any sound, the raspy attempts at breathing would have been an obvious sign of what was happening to him. Tony fell to his knees, his legs giving under him and his left arm becoming unusable.

"Bruce, what's happening to Tony?" The General screamed, stopping Banner in his tracks, and for an instant Bruce thought Rhodey was somehow now able to see the ghostly form. However, when he heard the loud and erratic beeping of the heart monitor that preceded the even more terrible sound of a flat lined heartbeat behind him, he was pulled from his stupor.

A quick scan of the room and a large intake of oxygen helped the otherwise incoming Hulk to calm down. Bruce's eyes took in that his father was gone, that Tony was on the floor slowly disappearing from the room, and that Pepper was seizing her way down the chair.

"Oh, shit!" said the voice from the door that had suddenly opened up, revealing a wild-eyed Hawkeye whose face became even grimmer when he saw the scene unfolding in front of him. Rhodey was pushing himself up from the chair and hopping his way to the emergency button on the wall. Bruce was helping Pepper hit the floor as gently was possible, and the monitors tracking Tony's vitals were going crazy. "What the fuck?"

Clint ran inside the room, heading straight to Pepper and taking over the duty of helping her. "I got her! I got her! Help Tony!"

Bruce did not need a second push and ran toward Tony, immediately working on removing the useless sensors from his body and pulling the respirator from his mouth as he screamed at the top of his lungs for some help. "Get a crash cart in here!"

Seconds later, the nurses and doctors of S.H.I.E.L.D. appeared inside the chaotic room, rushing to Tony and preparing the defibrillator they had in tow. Rhodey stared at the scene in shock, unable to find something he could do. He pressed himself as far into a corner as he could to not be in the way, knowing that with his broken leg there was not much he could do for anyone, anyway.

_Pepper_. The General's eyes looked down to the floor where Clint was holding onto Pepper in his arms. He had her on her left side, clearly partially remembering his crash course in dealing with seizing individuals. Pepper was thrashing around violently, and it was evident that Clint was on the receiving end of painful punches coming from her, but he held on to her despite the ache.

"It'll pass, Pepper," Barton whispered to her, holding her head in his lap so that she didn't hit it on the floor with her sudden and uncontrollable movements while trying not to restrain her too much and inadvertently causing her neck to snap. "It'll pass."

Rhodey moved closer to them, picking up his crutches on the way, and knelt down next to the archer and the arsonist.

"What happened?" Clint asked to no one in particular but stared up to see the doctors and nurses still shocking Tony's chest. "I didn't know Pepper had epilepsy," he added as he absentmindedly brushed off hair from her face and mouth.

"She doesn't," Rhodes said, shaking his head in confusion. "Something else happened, and I think Bruce saw it coming, but I don't know what it was."

"He's coming to," one of the doctors said, breathing a sigh of relief that was echoed in the room. "He's coming back. Hook him up again."

The nurses wasted no time and began attaching the machines to Tony's body once more. Bruce took a step back and monitored the nurses' work from afar as he walked closer to the other Avengers. He knelt down onto the floor, lifted Pepper's now calm arm by her wrist and checked her pulse.

"She's stable," Bruce said aloud as he took out his handkerchief from his pants' pocket and patted Pepper's sweaty forehead. "Take her out of here, but someone stay with her until she comes to."

Rhodey nodded to them, self-appointing himself with the task of keeping an eye on Pepper. Effortlessly, Clint picked up the woman who had already been partially in his arms and adjusted her position so that his arms under her knees and her back held her firmly in place. "Let's find her a room nearby," Hawkeye said before adding, "Bruce, do you have your phone with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I've been texting you," Barton said as he began his trek toward the door, followed closely by Rhodey. "I see you're needed here," the archer said pointing at Tony with the tip of his chin. "But, can you come on down to Nat's room when you get a chance?"

"Why? Is she OK?" Bruce asked as he took out his phone which he had placed in silent mode while he and Rhodey had been explaining Tony's situation to Pepper, only to see on the screen that he had at least ten unread text messages, three missed calls and two voicemails.

"She's alive, and awake."

"Tash is up?" Rhodey asked as he lifted Pepper's dangling arms and placed them on her stomach so that they did not hit anything on their way to a bed. "Is she talking?"

"She is, but…Look," he said after a sigh. "Just come see her, Bruce, as soon as you can, please."

"I will. I'm just gonna check on Tony and I'll be right down."

"I'll wait for you in Nat's room," the archer said before taking Pepper with him to the closest available room. As promised, Rhodey remained by her side, patiently waiting until she was ready to wake up.

xxxXXXxxx

The meeting room was silent, dim and filled with tension that you could cut with a foam knife. On one end of the large conference table sat Nick Fury with his second-in-command to his left. Steve sat next to Maria, and next to Steve sat Rhodey. Across from Rhodey sat Bruce and Clint, and all of them stared at the projection on the screen set against the other end of the room.

"I understand this is not the best of times to have this meeting," Fury conceded knowing this was the thought in everyone's mind. "But the longer we wait to have it, the more out of control this is going to get. For the record, this meeting is _off _the record. The Council has already received a preliminary report that contains a_ diluted_ version of what we're about to speak of here."

Fury nodded to Maria, who nodded in return to acknowledge she understood it was her turn to speak. She pointed a small remote she had been holding in her hands toward the screen, and the once white screen changed to show a map of the village where the ambush had taken place. "Stark and Jarvis reported many anomalies during the battle. The first one was the weather patterns," Maria said as she flipped through the screens to show the radars showing the snow storm hitting the region. "The first wave of snow was before you intercepted the villagers. The second wave happened in a very narrow location after the missiles hit the ground."

The image on the wall changed to show an extremely localized snow storm on the top right corner of the screen. "We believe the origin of both storms is the same, and that Pepper and Tony encountered whoever or whatever caused them both."

"Pepper's account of the situation is sketchy at best," Fury interjected. "She said there was a cloaked man that called her Ember, and told her he was going to be the ruler of the world. We believe he must have developed some sort of weather-controlling technology to cause these storms."

"Weather can be controlled?" Steve asked, switching back and forth between the screen and Fury.

"In a sense," Bruce answered for the group. "Since we are very familiar with how storms form, there are machines that have been created with the sole purpose of recreating the atmospheric requirements to cause rain clouds to form. It's used as a technique to help drought-stricken lands."

Steve was not sure he understood all the words Bruce had said, but he understood the gist of what was being said. "So, is this technology good enough to be so precise?"

Rhodey shook his head. "This is shit that not even Tony has been able to figure out."

"So, are we talking about alien technology, again?" Barton asked, already feeling dejected by the idea of living through another alien invasion.

"It's hard to say," Fury answered. "I'd preferred that we were all present for this debriefing, but unfortunately that is not the case. We'll just share what we can and try to piece this together as best as we can until the rest of our team can join us. Which leads me to a topic I should've probably started with; how are they?"

"Phil's health is OK. He's still joking around for now, but I'm waiting for the breakdown." Steve provided.

"He probably already did and you didn't notice," Fury suggested knowing his agents as much as he did. "Romanoff?" he then asked, staring directly at Bruce and Clint.

"Her latest health reports are exceedingly encouraging; I'd even say that she's healthier than she's ever been since being born." Bruce said, tapping the table with his fingers. "She's going to make a full recovery faster than I thought she would, but..."

"She can't see, at all." Clint added. "She's…blind."

"Is it long-term?" Maria asked, staring at Barton's obvious discomfort with the topic but knowing the subject had to be breached. "The blindness?" she clarified in case the question was not clear enough to them.

Bruce shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't had a chance to thoroughly check on that, but I will. You'd think the serum we used on her would've prevented it altogether. My guess is that it's temporary in nature, but I'll make sure and let you know."

"Did she complain about her eyesight during the battle?" Fury inquired.

"No, not really. I mean, as far as I know malaria doesn't cause blindness," Banner adjusted his glasses. "I'm thinking there's something else at work here but without consulting with the doctors, I can't say any more than that."

"Alright, how about Potts?" the Director continued his questioning.

"What happened to Pepper was weird," Rhodes began. "She was fine one moment and then she just collapsed. Maybe it was the stress, I don't know. The doctors didn't find anything wrong with her, per se. But she hasn't woken up, and we don't even know why she seized in the first place, or how to get her back."

"Do you think it was left over from battle?" Fury asked around the room, which caused Banner to fidget uncomfortably. He knew what had caused Pepper's seizure, even if he could not explain it completely. He was still trying to understand what had happened, and why Tony had not been able to see his father threatening Pepper Potts.

"Impossible," Bruce jumped in when he noticed Nick was eyeing him suspiciously. "I checked her charts very carefully. She was more than healthy within 24 hours of coming back. Hell, she had her heart cut in half by a laser and she still managed to keep it pumping somehow. It wasn't viral either because neither Rhodey nor I were affected. Again, I can't say anything else on that."

"What about Stark?"

Bruce felt as if he was talking too much, which he usually did not do, but it was unavoidable when he was the one trying to save them all from certain death. "Well," Bruce began, giving Fury and Maria an uncomfortable grin. "I don't know how much you want hear, Director. It relates to that subject you didn't want to know about."

Fury sighed, shaking his head and mumbling to himself something along the lines of how much trouble Tony caused him. "I just want to know if he'll make it."

"He's gone into cardiac arrest twice in two days, but the doctors have been able to resuscitate him on both occasions. He's been stable since then, but I doubt his heart can take a third hit. Considering the shrapnel damage he sustained years ago, the embedding of the arc reactor, and then the surgery to remove both it and the shrapnel, it's a miracle his heart is even still capable of beating."

"So, what do we do?" Maria asked. She had never truly liked Stark and had found him to be even more annoying when she first met him in person on the bridge of the Hellicarrier, but since then she had seen the other side of Tony –the side that made him slowly dig inside a person's soul and anchor himself there for the rest of their life.

"Like I said before, I'd like to use the serum I used on Natasha on Tony, but with Pepper out of commission the doctors won't let me go for it."

"Hill?" Fury turned to face her, and she understood what he meant without having to say anything else to her. "Doctor Banner, you will be allowed to use any treatment you deem necessary on Mr. Stark as soon as this meeting is over."

"Thanks," Bruce said earnestly, growing anxious to try his ideas on Tony. Just as Natasha, Tony had nothing else to lose but a life that was already slipping away from him with every second he lay on that bed.

"Well, going back to the battle," Maria said, switching to another slide. "It seems that Aldrich Killian has been lying to us. We are yet to find a way to locate 2.0's, but it is obvious now that there are many of them around the globe; maybe even more than 1.0's."

"Have we interrogated the two guys we caught in Mexico?" Steve asked.

"We have, but they had nothing new to tell us," Maria responded with a sigh.

"What about Killian?" Clint asked.

"He…he's an entirely different kind of issue." Maria retorted.

"What do you mean?" Rhodey asked as the slide on the wall changed to show the same video Fury had showed Maria just days ago when they had met to write the reports for the Council. The Avengers stared at the video with the same confused eyes anyone would expect from seeing a mad scientist talk to the air as fluently and engaged as if he was having a conversation with a real human being.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Barton asked of the man he was learning to hate more and more with every issue he caused. At first, to Barton, Killian had been nothing but another target he had to watch out for. After putting his team in danger – and nearly killing Natasha – thanks to the man's creation, Barton's vendetta against the man had become personal.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Agent Barton," Fury responded, again noting Bruce's uncomfortable stance as he watched the video loop over and over again. "Are you alright, Doctor Banner?"

Bruce's head snapped from the screen to stare at the group, showing them he had been caught up in the feed. "Yeah, I just…I'm just thinking about Tony…and I'm tired…I need to sleep…" he partially lied.

"I think we all are," Fury conceded but not all convinced that Tony's health was all that was crossing the doctor's mind. "Anything else we should know about that we haven't covered? Any theories, anyone?"

"I think Killian lied to us; all of us," Steve began, shaking his head in disapproval. "I think he was busier than what he said he had been when he was captured. I mean, he had, what, an entire year to rile up an army?"

"I think he's been working with someone on the outside," Clint suggested. "We know he's been kept under pretty tight security here to do anything else. Besides, didn't you and Tony create a monitoring device for him?" The archer directed his question at Bruce.

Bruce nodded in response. "We did, and we haven't picked up any outgoing or incoming waves from his cell. I'm not saying he's not lying to us," Banner said as he stared at Steve, "but the soldiers we saw in the Congo were practically brand new. I do think someone else is involved, but I don't know if that person is working with Aldrich or not."

Seeing that everyone on his team was coming up with the same theories he and Maria had, Fury called the meeting adjourned. As the participants stood up from their respective seats, Banner's eyes were drilled to the stilling looping image of Killian's one-sided conversation.

Well, one-sided for everyone else except Killian and Banner himself. His eyes showed Agent Galaga on the screen, standing in front of Killian, but Banner knew better than that. "Agent Hill?" Bruce caught her attention as she was about to exit the room. "Is there a chance…do you mind sending me the video to my e-mail?"

"Of course not, Bruce. Why? Do you see something we don't?" she asked him, not knowing how much of a truth she was seeking from him.

"No, I'm just good at reading lips, and I'd like to match the cell's readings with the frames of the video, if that's alright with you, of course."

The answer seemed to have placated any doubts Hill would had had. "Sure thing, Doctor. It will be in your inbox as soon as I return to my station."

"Thank, Agent Hill."

"No problem, Doctor."

* * *

**A/N:** So, yup! Made it happen! Let's see how much motivation I can muster for maybe posting another chapter before the end of the weekend. What theories do you guys have?


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Finally back in her room, the Black Widow sat on the edge of her bed, standing as straight and still as possible while Bruce Banner shone a light in her eyes. The pupil constrictions of the female spy satisfied the doctor to such a great amount that it showed on his usually concerned-filled face. When he finally turned off the miniature light, an eager Clint was cracking his knuckles beside him, waiting for the prognosis of the unofficial physician of the Avengers.

"So, what's up, Doc?" the archer joked, earning him a roll of the eyes from his partner.

"Really, Barton?" Natasha blurted out. "That's the best line you could come up with? Seriously!"

"Oh, come on, Tasha!" the Hawk whined. "It's a _classic_! But, you might not even know about it since you were probably not even born when Bugs Bunny really kick-started his career."

Natasha scoffed, and had her vision completely returned yet, she would have scoffed even louder at seeing Bruce's wide smirk and nod. "Puh-lease! A five-year difference is not that much, if you think about it," she argued.

"Not when we get to be our age, no." Barton agreed. "But I'm sure you and I had nothing in common when you were 2 and I was 7."

"Clint, we have nothing in common as we are right now. What makes you think we had _anything_ in common then? Had I met you when I was 2, I wouldn't even want to be your friend," she joked.

Barton shook his head, not caring that Bruce was witnessing a rare moment of amusement between the two usually cold and calculating assassins. All he truly cared about was how much longer Natasha had to wait to get her full eyesight back, and what he could do –if anything, to speed up the process. "Anyway," Barton said, purposefully prolonging the word, "How is her vision, Bruce?"

"I can't give you an exact timeframe for her recovery to be over, but I can safely assume that within a few weeks she will be seeing more than just shadows and shapes. Which means, you better watch your tongue, Hawk, because she can start punching you for those bad jokes of yours very, very soon," Banner answered with an obvious light tone in his voice.

"Which side are you on, Banner?"

"The winning side, as always."

The wide smile on Natasha's face was worth holding back any retort Clint could have come up with. After fearing her gone from his life forever, the archer was just happy to know Natasha was going to return to her normal physical self after all. It had been some tense couple of weeks since their return from their last mission in Africa, but the comparison of how they were today with how they were fourteen days ago was similar to comparing the night with the day.

"Keep putting on those eye drops I gave you, Natasha, OK? The effects of the tear gas should diminish with their use." Banner said, still not believing the existence of the undisclosed side-effect of the weapon S.H.I.E.L.D. has used to deter the Extremis soldiers from killing the Avengers one-by-one.

Needless to say, the liaison of the biochemical weapons had gotten an earful from Nick Fury, and their contract had been immediately revoked after he had proved to them (with Bruce's help) that the tear gas had caused the temporary blindness of one of his best agents while in the field. It had not been difficult to prove, in fact, since Rhodey and Clint had been unaffected due to their unconscious state during the implementation of the bioweapon, Steve and Coulson had arrived AFTER the gas had dissipated enough to lose its initial concentration, and Iron Man had been using a filter. The exception of the gamma-induced monster not falling prey to the side-effects of the gas was, of course, left out of the official complaint.

"Well, I gotta get back to Tony. Do you need anything else from me before I leave?" Bruce asked as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in and walked to the door.

"No. I think we're good here," Natasha said, standing up from her bed and following his voice. Bruce noticed her attempt to reach him and stopped in place to make it easier for her to find him. Once Natasha used whatever use of her eyes she had, and her dexterous hands, she surprised Banner by giving him the most sincere hug of appreciation he had ever received in his life.

"Thank you so much, Bruce," Romanoff whispered in his ear. "I owe you a debt it will take me a lifetime to repay."

Bruce returned the embrace with as much intensity as he was receiving it, kissing the side of her face as he pulled away. "Just call it a late apology for chasing your butt down the Hellicarrier soon after we met. How does that sound?"

Natasha shook her head at him but did not argue. Either way, Bruce knew that Natasha took her debts of honor very seriously, and even though saving her life was on par with almost destroying it himself, he knew Natasha would not be satisfied with his proposed arrangement.

After giving Clint a final nod, Bruce disappeared behind the door. Natasha stared at it for a moment before sighing loudly, feeling a weight being lifted from her shoulders. She remained silent for a while, staring blankly into space until she felt Clint coming near her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Clint?"

"Yeah?" he asked her, moving from behind her to her side and holding her hand in his. The gesture had become very common between them, as if the near-death experience they had both had, had allowed them to open up more about their feelings, even if mostly in the privacy of their rooms.

"Let's go visit Coulson," she finally said.

Guided by her partner, Natasha walked down the halls of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, surprising those who had sworn the Black Widow had spun her last web.

xxxXXXxxx

Whatever spell Pepper had been under had finally released her a few days ago, shocking poor, on-duty Rhodey who had almost broken his leg again when he fell from the chair he had been standing on to kill a spider high on the wall. After the success of the serum Bruce had developed from Tony's schematics, Rhodey had asked –more like begged, Bruce to allow the General to be his second lab rat. After many attempts at convincing Banner and Fury, Bruce injected James with enough serum to repair his broken bone. After being administered the cure for Extremis 1.0 –and being cleared of any possible remaining infection, Rhodey had immediately hit the gym for some much needed stress relieving.

Natasha had been up and about just a few days after she had woken up, and Coulson, despite his condition and the promise of a better life, had refused treatment with the magical serum Bruce had used on most of them so far. Coulson's reasoning was that things happened for a reason, and that he felt he had reached the end of his life in S.H.I.E.L.D. Bruce respected his wishes, and while everyone had been excited with the prospect of getting Coulson back to who he was before, they had also respected his wish of living the rest of his life as who he was now.

Unfortunately, not everything was butterflies and rainbows at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. Happy, Miss Smith and the twins had returned to the mansion after Pepper had decided it was too much to have the kids at the headquarters of a spy organization. Frank had been given the sad task of canceling the birthday party due to the circumstances, and Pepper had been forced to temporarily move to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base so that she could simultaneously run the company and keep an eye on Tony's recovery.

She had only been doing so for a few days but she could already feel the pressure she knew Tony had encountered when she had been the one tied to a bed after Rhodey had found her in Mexico. She knew she had the advantage of having a babysitter, Happy, and the others to help out, but the fact that Tony had shown no improvement was literally killing her dead. She had hoped that when she woke up from her random coma spell, she would have been welcomed by Tony's smiling face, but she had been terribly wrong.

Since her seizure –which had not repeated again, Tony had been the victim of two massive heart attacks, back-to-back. He had been given the cure to the Extremis 1.0 in hopes it would help him rid himself of the clusterfuck, mutated version of 1.0/2.0 he had given himself, but so far there were no concrete results to show the virus was out of his body. Bruce had given him a week to flush out whatever he could of the virus, but when no significant change was noted he had no option but to give him the serum he had used on Natasha and Rhodey. So far, the serum had not helped improve his status at all, and every day she worked from her tablet while sitting next to an unchanged Tony, Pepper felt her hope dispel.

Just as today; just as now.

She knew she did not have to stay by his side all day, since everyone –including Nick Fury himself – had been willing and able to take turns so that she could relax and spend time with the twins. She had taken them up on their offers, all of their offers, at some point since waking up, but she knew the only way she could keep her sanity in check was to work, work, and work. Just as Tony tinkered in the lab to relieve stress, Pepper tinkered with the company to keep her wits unscathed.

Realizing she had been trying to read the same e-mail for the past half hour and not being able to get pass the first line of it, she turned off her tablet and set it on the table next to Tony's bed. She stood up from her chair and expertly climbed onto the bed with him, in whatever space she had made around the wires that were attached to his body. She had taken some naps this way, as it seemed it was the only way she could get some sleep. She hardly ever went to their room, knowing that the other half of her heart was down here in the ICU.

Looking at her watch, she noted that she had four more hours until Miss Smith dropped off the twins for the weekend. Pepper had forced Gillian to take a vacation from all of this, and had declined Happy's and Rhodey's help in watching over the kids back at the mansion. She had spent so much time with Tony here that she felt she owed it to her kids to spend a weekend with them. This weekend was very important to her not only because she would devote every minute to her children, but also because it was the deadline Bruce had established for determining whether or not the serum treatment would continue. If by the end of this weekend Tony showed no improvement, the decision to disconnect him from life support would have to be made by her.

Pepper rested her head on his pillow, her nose touching the side of his cheek. She then placed her left arm lazily on his chest, and curled up her right arm between his shoulder and her neck. She inhaled the scent she associated with him –grease oil, sweat and his cologne, wondering how it was that it had lasted this long on him. Truth was she did not care as long as it was present, reminding her of the good times she and this man had spent together. Good times she hoped she would be able to do justice to when she relayed them to her children when they were old enough to understand them, even if their father was not around to tell the stories himself.

"I love you, Tony," she whispered to him before placing a soft kiss on his cheek and closing her eyes, hoping against hope that she would soon wake up from the gruesome nightmare she was living in since she had carried his dead body in her arms on her way to the Hellicarrier from the rainforest she had learned to loathe.

Bruce would find her fast asleep half an hour later, and after confirming that no change was present in Tony still, he left them both to spend what could be the last of their moments together, in peace.

xxxXXXxxx

Sunday evening caught Pepper and Rhodey carrying the twins down the hall to her room with Jarvis following closely behind. The children were exhausted after spending a weekend with their mother and unofficial uncles and aunts. Anticipating the fact that Tony would probably not be around for long after getting the disappointing preliminary reports from Bruce on Saturday morning, Pepper had organized an outing to the closest park to the base, and had taken everyone with her: Robert, Gwyneth, Rhodey, Happy, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Maria, Steve, Fury, Phil, and even their canine friend, Jarvis. To the random bystander, the camping had been nothing more than a big family's attempt at spending quality time together. To Pepper and every other adult involved, it was a way to say goodbye to Tony in a way they knew he would have liked.

Even when Pepper thought she had seen Tony standing a few feet away from her, her resolve had not been deterred. She was going to make the decision her children needed her to make: whether it was to extend the treatment or call it off, she needed a clear mind and a cool head to make the right call. She had needed this break, and so had everyone else. And even if Tony had not been there in body with them, she felt he had been there in soul.

"Let me hold Robbie," Rhodey said, surprising Pepper and bringing her back to reality. She handed the sleeping boy to Rhodey so she could take out her card key and punch in the code to unlock the door to her room. The piston releasing the bolt of the room symbolized the gate was open, and without further ado the five of them entered the room.

Jarvis was the first one to rush inside to find his pillow, dropping himself on it without a second thought. In an instant, the canine had closed its eyes and was already asleep, probably dreaming of chasing squirrels or digging up bones. Rhodey began walking to the crib in the corner of the room, but Pepper stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Not tonight, Rhodey. I want them in bed with me."

"Are you not sleeping in Tony's room?"

Pepper shook her head. "No, not tonight."

Rhodey hesitated, knowing Pepper was trying to put on a calm front she did not need to pretend to have at the moment. Tonight could potentially turn into the last night Tony would be alive, but instead of spending the night with him, she was going to pretend everything was OK and share her bed with her kids. Rhodey did not have to like it, but he knew that perhaps this was Pepper's way of preparing for a life without her husband.

"Alright," the General finally conceded, taking the twins to the bed and with Pepper's help laying them in the middle of the mattress. She grabbed a thin blanket she had nearby and laid it on them before turning to Rhodey and thanking him for his help. "It's no problem Pepper. I'll be down the hall, if you need me, or any of us."

"I know. Thanks," she said again before watching Rhodey leave the room, closing the door behind him. Eventually, Pepper forced herself to walk to the bathroom to take a quick shower. There was no doubt she and the kids both needed some major cleaning, but she could not bring herself to wake them up. She would just have to bath them tomorrow before…

Pepper sighed. Quietly and with tears running down her face, she showered and cleaned up. When she exited the bathroom to return to the main room, she walked to the closet and opened the folding doors. She scanned the outfits she had brought with her the last time she had visited the mansion and her eyes immediately fell on the dress she was looking for.

She took it off the hanger it was on and after grabbing the matching shoes, she clothed herself immediately. She then walked to the bathroom and sat at the vanity, putting on some makeup to hide her teary face. She brushed her hair enough times until she knew it would dry in place before standing up and walking out the main room once more. She picked up the keys to Tony's favorite convertible – which had not been moved since she had parked it there before she left for the missions to chase soldiers before the Congo incident –then turned and looked down at the dog.

"Jarvis?" she said aloud. The German Shepard's ears perked up and his eyes opened. Pepper pointed at the bed where her children lay sleeping. "If anything happens, wake the others" she said, clear and commanding. The canine got the gist of what his mistress was commanding him and raise his head up off his paws and licked his lips, staring at her. She took that to be a "Yes, Ma'am" from the pooch, and after picking up her purse and turning off the lights, she headed out the door.

She did not bother to cover her tracks, knowing that everyone else was either already asleep or pretty close to passing out for the night. Even though it was early and the sun had just set, it seemed that none of them had had an opportunity to rest since the fight. With their concerns narrowed down to just Tony, and after spending a weekend entertaining the twins, everyone on the team craved a good night sleep.

It did not take her long to reach the exit of the facility, and a simple scan of her retina allowed her to leave without so much as a quick glance from the security guard in turn. Everyone knew her anyway, and they knew what a pissed off Extremis soldier could do, too.

She walked down the path to the parking lot, and in just a minute she was in the car and driving to her destination. It took her nearly an hour to get there, and even then she still had another hour on foot –if she walked at a normal pace and did not take advantage of her speed. Knowing she had to return back home before midnight to have some decent amount of sleep, she found herself running in the night, surrounded by large trees and leaves. She did not stop her trek until her eyes locked on the place she was looking for.

To be completely honest, it was the Middle of Nowhere, California, and any hiker in the area would have just passed it by without so, much as a second glance. To anyone else it was just a small patch of open land in the middle of the forest, but to her it was a special place she would make sure she always returned to, to lift her spirits.

The boulder she had sat on at some point when she had first visited this place was still there, so she walked up to it and made used of it. She took off her shoes and placed them neatly on the ground below her, pulling her legs up to her chest and stared at the nothingness that surrounded her. She closed her eyes and exhaled, allowing her mind to drift back to the first and only other time she had been here.

_ Pepper was exhausted, Extremis be damned. Her feet hurt, and her heels were not made for taking long hikes, but she could not stop now. Tony was pulling ahead of her, as if not caring she was being left behind, and no amount of asking him to slow down had worked so far. The man was incorrigible and so was she for following him wherever he went. He had promised he just needed to get out of the still under construction Malibu home, but that had been hours ago. They were due to fly back to New York tomorrow, but so far it seemed they were not going to make it back on time._

_ He had taken a wrong turn down the road back home from the restaurant they had an early dinner in, and after circling the same damned roads they had never used before, they ended up on a deserted, eerie, dirt road that screamed a slow murder with lots of pain. After a few miles of hoping the highway would come into view as the car's GPS kept predicting, the driver side tire exploded. Thanks to Tony's quick reflexes, the most damage they had suffered was hitting a nearby tree, busting the engine and setting off the air bags._

_ "Son of a bitch!" Tony had yelled before taking out a utility knife from his pocket and deflating his and Pepper's air bag. "Are you OK, Potts?"_

_ "Yeah, I think," she had told him, even though she was far from being OK. She was tired, thirsty, annoyed at not knowing where she was, and at the fact that it was impossible for Tony to stop and ask for directions. She took out her cell phone only to discover the battery had died, and when Tony mimicked her action, he too groaned in annoyance. Even if the situation was shitty, she had been glad to see that Tony's arm cast was still intact._

_ "Musta been the constant signal searching; drained our juice," he had said before stepping out of the car with Pepper in tow. _

"_Tony, what are you doing? We should stay here and call for help."_

_ "How, exactly? The crash busted the OnStar box. I can't send a distress call," he said as he pointed at the disaster that was now his favorite convertible._

_ Pepper had bit her lip, her eyes traveling to see the dismantled box scattered all around the place of impact. She sighed loudly and followed Tony, who had sworn that he was sure the road was just a few miles east of them. So far, they had traveled three and they were yet to find the road._

_ "Tony, please SLOW down! I can't see where I'm going!"_

_ Tony stopped where he was, but she could tell by his stance that he was on the verge of going off, too. Tony hardly ever lost his cool with Pepper, but when he did they ended up not talking to each other for days._

_ "We aren't' getting closer to the highway with you slowing us down, Virginia. Try to keep up," he said to her before he gave his back to her, ignoring the sharp intake of breath she had to muster to keep her from showing the shock on her face. He had never, ever, called her by her given name, despite how pissed off he was. Biting her lip and picking up the pace, she continued walking behind him in silence._

_ She figured they must have walked for one more mile before the end of the road seemed near. It was difficult to tell with how dark it was, and once they both reached the edge of the forest they realized that it was just a small open area of grass._

_ "Dammit!" Tony yelled, kicking the soil under his feet. Pepper knew Tony was hoping for the highway to hitch a ride back home, but to her the sight of an abandoned camp site was a blessing. She could feel her eyes closing on her, and she could feel blisters forming around her feet. If they had to spend the night here and wait until Jarvis sent a search party tomorrow when the 24-hour protocol kicked in, so be it._

_ Tony walked up to the tent and opened it up, groaned loudly and walked away from it. "It's filled with bugs. It's no good."_

_ "Really?" Pepper asked in disbelief, her hope of spending the night in some abandoned camp rather than in the open woods was gone. "We can't stay out here, it's dangerous," she said, knowing that even if she was carrying a potentially deadly virus inside of her, she hated using it at all. _

_ "Be my guest," Tony said in a tone she figured was annoyance at her disbelief of his word._

"_Let me take a look," she said as she walked up to the tent herself. Tony had a weird thing about germs, which was one of the reasons he did not like things being handed to him, so for all Pepper knew, what was not acceptable for him was probably completely acceptable for her._

_ Tony eyed her as she walked up to the tent and stood outside, readying herself for the scene of a bug-infested tent. Her hand reached the edge of the tent and with one swift pull she opened it._

_ There were no bugs._

_ No. Bugs._

_ No…fucking…bugs…whatsoever._

_ But there were plenty of fresh flowers everywhere._

_ Her eyes scanned the small tent, filled with flowers of all types: roses, lilies, carnations, tulips…she could not name them all. Her eyes then lifted up from the bottom of the tent to its back and that was when she saw it: a sign was tapped to the back wall of the tent which read: "Marry me, Pepper."_

"You have no idea how hard it was to plan all this, so I hope your answer is yes."

_ Pepper slowly turned around to see Tony down on one knee, holding an open ring box in his good hand. Pepper took her hands to her face, her body shaking in excitement. She tried saying his name, tried answering him, but the feelings were just too strong. All she could do for him was nod, which was all he needed to jump up from the ground and embrace her._

_ "You'll marry me, Pepper? You promise?"_

_ "Yes," she managed to choke out. "Yes, I'll marry you, Tony."_

After a long embrace, tears and exchanges of soft kisses, Tony had produced a bag with their belongings from behind the tent. His reasoning for going through such lengths to propose to her, he had told her, where to be as far away from prying eyes as possible, make it so that it was a true surprised to her, and topping off his failed first proposal in Times Square.

In Pepper's eyes, even tonight, he had achieved them all. Pepper Potts-Stark spent the anniversary of Tony's marriage proposal reminiscing about the exciting life and gestures of love Tony had given her, and wearing the same outfit she had worn that memorable night.

xxxXXXxxx

She returned from her drive shortly after midnight, feeling exhausted after releasing the pain she carried in her heart. The idea of losing Tony had not settled yet, but she had to make the important call and she had already notified Bruce of her decision via text message on her way back to base. Tomorrow –or later on today, at 7:30 A.M., Anthony Edward Stark would cease to live.

Dragging her feet down the hall, and this time making sure she did not make too much noise, she arrived at the door and went through the process of unlocking the entrance to the room in almost a mechanic motion. The beep and piston noise again told her the door was free of locks and she walked in.

Closing the door behind her, she slowly placed her shoes by the entrance, and took off her dress, not caring where it fell. She would have to get it dry cleaned anyway, as she was sure it had dust and leaves from her hike. She patted her way to the recliner close to the door and she found her pajama shorts and t-shirt waiting for her. With expert ease, she dressed herself in the dark before walking up to the bed. She patted the edge of it and tried to determine where her kids had moved to, but it was hard to tell.

_Dammit_, she thought before she reached over to her nightstand to do what she had not wanted to do in the first place: turn on the lamp. She fidgeted with the base, trying to find the elusive chain to turn it on, but before she could reach it, the lamp turned on.

Pepper gasped, immediately calling onto her powers to attack whoever had sneaked into her room but the moment she laid her eyes on the intruder, she lost all resolve.

"Pepper?"

Before her, on their bed, was Tony Stark, still in his hospital gown, looking groggy and a little bit confused but with a small smile on his face, staring back at her as if he had not seen her in ages.

And, to his credit, he could easily make the claim.

* * *

**A/N:** I think it's time to move on to phase two of this fic. Who agrees with me? I'm sure Pepper and Tony do.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Pepper opened her eyes despite the room still being completely dark as her internal clock knew it was time to wake up. After returning from visiting the place where Tony had proposed to her, she had returned to base even more exhausted than she had felt in days, perhaps due to the emotional drain she had experienced last night. Her fatigued mind had been cruel to her, making her think that Tony had suddenly recovered from his death bed, but she knew it had just been a dream.

She flipped on the lamp on her nightstand and turned around to check up on her kids. Just as she expected, Robert and Gwyneth were still snoring away, cuddled together as they did when they shared a bed as if they somehow intuitively knew that they had once shared a womb. Pepper stared down at her kids, smiling weakly when she remembered what she had to do today.

Looking back at her nightstand to stare at the alarm clock, she saw that it was nearly 7 A.M., which meant she had to get the kids and herself ready to go say goodbye to Tony before he was disconnected. Begrudgingly, she stood up from the bed and was startled when she heard a faint knock on the door.

She tiptoed her way to it, and after removing the locks she pulled the door open to see Bruce standing outside. "Pepper, may I…come in?"

Pepper nodded and moved out of the way to allow him to enter. She closed the door behind her before facing Bruce. She could tell he was uncomfortable being here, and she could only hope that he was not going to make her decision even more difficult for her by asking her to change her mind.

"Pepper, there's no easy way to say this; so I'm just gonna say it, OK?"

She took her right palm to her chest, fearing the worst. She knew how to read between the lines; she knew what Bruce was about to tell her. It seemed to her, in the end, Tony had made things easier for her after all, and had probably died at some point last night before it was time for her to be making the call.

"OK," she responded, swallowing hard and holding her weight by resting her back on the door. "Tell me."

"Pepper," Bruce began, fidgeting on his spot by the bed. "He's…he's gone."

Even though she was firmly standing in place, she felt the weight of the world push down on her shoulders. Her legs immediately gave way and she crashed on the floor. Bruce was quick to kneel before her, hugging her tightly despite her racking sobs. Pepper's tears fell down in waves, and she dug her nails into his skin.

"Pepper, I'm sorry, I…"

"No," she interrupted him. "Don't say anything else."

"But, Pepper…there's…"

"NO!" she screamed, emphasizing her point by hitting his chest with her fists. "I don't want to hear it! He's gone! That's all I need to know!"

"Who's gone?"

Both of their breaths were caught in their throats, staring at each other with wide eyes. Neither of them was brave enough to make the next move, so they just waited in silence until the voice spoke again.

"Is everything OK?"

This time, Pepper felt she just had to take a chance and looked up. There, standing by the bathroom door wrapped in a bathrobe and with a towel in his hands was Tony Stark.

Tony. Stark.

Neither Pepper nor Bruce would ever know who helped who stand up from the floor, but they both did at the same time, holding onto each other's hands. They both shared the same shocked face as they stared at Tony approaching them. "OK, I know I was passed out for a while, but I don't think it was long enough for you to get involved like that," he asked as he pointed to the both of them with his finger. "What's going on?"

Bruce was the first one to find his voice. "So…_there_ you are."

Pepper's head snapped from watching Tony to staring at Bruce, squeezing his hands she was still holding with just a little bit too much pressure. "What do you_ mean_, 'there you are'? _Where_ did you think he was?"

"Well…I uhm…I did say he was gone, right?"

Banner could see the wheels turning in her head. Bruce had said Tony was gone, but that did not automatically mean he was dead gone. "I…I…" Pepper stuttered as she finally let go of Bruce's hands and pulled away from him, resting her back on the door once more. "Last night…I thought…I thought it was a dream…"

Tony shook his head, walking even closer to them and stood just a few inches away from both. He dropped the towel he had in his hands on the same couch Pepper had used last night to hold her pajamas, making it even more real for her. The billionaire had anticipated the shock of seeing him would be intense as he himself was still surprised he had woken up after his body had sustained so much damage, but he had not anticipated Pepper passing out on him after seeing him lying on their bed last night.

"It wasn't a dream. It was real…I'm here…I'm back, Pep," he said to her as he slowly reached out to her and touched her cheek. Bruce immediately felt as if he was the largest third-wheel in the world, and cleared his throat.

"I…well, you have some explaining to do, Stark, but you can tell me later," Bruce said as he made his way around the couple who seemed to only have eyes for each other. Neither of them heard nor felt Bruce squeezing his way out of the room through the small opening of the door Pepper was still using as a rest.

Both of their eyes were filled with unshed tears. Pepper felt her confidence returning to her and she lifted her hands to hold his face. "Is this…are you really here?"

Tony smiled to her and nodded, pulling her closer to him so that he himself could also believe he was holding her again. After all the trouble, the explosions, the fights, the uncertainty, he was back once more; his only motivation to cheating death had been seeing her face again.

"I love you too, Pepper," he told her, hinting to her that he had heard her speaking to him every time she had uttered those words before taking a nap with him in his hospital bed. "That's why I'm here; because I love you, so much."

And their lips crashed onto each other, pouring into their kiss as much emotion as they could to let the other know just how much love was yet to be shared.

xxxXXXxxx

A couple of hours after notifying the team that Tony was back, alive and kicking, Bruce had tried to schedule a medical check-up for the genius, but it was easier said than done. Everyone on the team had been anxious to see with their own eyes that Stark was breathing, and that he felt good enough to be where he was now: the cafeteria of S.H.I.E.L.D., stuffing his face with an assortment of foods.

"Tony! You're dropping crumbies all over Gigi's head," Pepper told her husband –who had refused to give up having at least one of his kids on his lap as he ate – as she carefully picked her baby's hair of bread crumbs.

"I don't hear her complaining," he said after swallowing the mouthful of food he had been chewing on.

Pepper shook her head but smiled nonetheless. "She can't talk yet, remember? I'm complaining for her," she added after she completed her task and returned to feeding Robert, who was on her lap. Tony shrugged, knowing Pepper was just trying to get back into the routine. He then wiped his face with a napkin before grabbing a small spoon and dipping it inside the bowl that held his daughter's food.

"Open wide, Honey," Tony said and Gwyneth complied immediately, opening her mouth to allow Tony to feed her. Once the food was taken from the spoon, she munched it as much as she could with hardly any teeth in her mouth, making sounds that tugged at Tony's heart. "It's good, isn't? You like it, right? Muncha-muncha-muncha!"

The little girl answered by giving her father a gurgled smile and a giggle which Tony returned before looking up to face everyone else sitting at the same long booth table having their own brunch. "So, what did I miss?"

Pepper sat to Tony's left. Rhodey flanked Tony, and Happy flanked Pepper. Jarvis sat by his master's feet, under the table, and eating whatever crumbs were dropped to the floor. Across from Tony was Nick Fury. To Fury's right sat Maria, and to his left sat Bruce. Next to Bruce sat Steve, and next to Maria sat Natasha, followed by Clint.

"Your appointment with me," Bruce said in between bites of his yogurt and pointing a plastic spoon at Tony as he did. "That's what you missed."

Tony scoffed. "I told you I feel fine; just…tired, but fine."

"Seriously, Tony?" Rhodey shook his head at him after dunking a french fry in his mustard-ketchup-mayonnaise mixture. "You had_ two_ heart attacks! How the heck are you fine? You gotta let Banner check on you."

"I'm so glad you didn't say 'check me out,'" Tony jested, reminding them one of the reasons why Tony was who he was. Even on the brink of death he would find a way to joke around. When everyone else at the table, including his children, gave him a weird look, Tony nodded, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Alright! Alright! Banner, if you're dying to see me without a shirt, I'll stop by your room later on."

"The room you were in at the ICU will be just fine."

"After Doctor Banner clears you –" Fury began.

"Checks me out," Tony interjected before drinking some of his soda and winking seductively at Banner.

"Whatever. After he clears you, we all need to meet," he said as he stared at Pepper. "I know you'd rather have Stark all for yourself, Pepper, but we have to get moving on what happened before it visits us here in our own backyard."

Pepper did not say anything to argue with the Director because she knew he was correct. After seeing the results of the bodies in the Congo, and remembering the little kids she had tried to avoid killing, she knew it was only a matter of time before whoever had ambushed them there tried something as blunt as attacking them in their home.

Seeing that Pepper was not going to challenge his order, Fury returned his attention to the pancakes he was eating. Tony took another sip of his soda before staring at Natasha. "Romanoff, Barton, I'm glad to see you're OK."

Natasha gave Tony a small smile, followed by a nod from Clint. Tony still remembered seeing them on the ground, thinking they had been taken out for good, and it had scared him even if he had not let it show. Even if Pepper was his number one concern, he still felt responsible for and cared for his teammates' wellbeing.

"What about you, Happy? Everything alright?"

"Peachy, Boss. Keeping things together while you're indisposed is just like a vacation."

Pepper gave Happy a one-arm hug, and patted his shoulder. Happy waved off her apologies and returned to his pita. "I think I'm gonna go back home after this, if that's OK with you."

"Sure, why the hell not? Go relax, Happy. You've earned it," Tony said in a way Happy knew he was also thanking him for being there for his family. "Ugh, I'm stuffed," Ton added, patting his belly. He then picked up Gwyneth so that she rested on his left arm and he continued feeding her.

The scene was surreal to everyone, and not just because a former playboy was showing he was a happy husband feeding his kid. Just yesterday during their park outing, they had been silently preparing themselves to bid him farewell today, but instead –as he liked to do, he had surprised them all by being well enough to: get up from his hospital bed in the middle of the night; disable the medical equipment that would rat him out; find his way to his room; and crash on his bed after scaring the crap out of his wife.

The rest of the meal was finished in silence, everyone caught in the thought of what else awaited them with this ordeal that seemed to be far from over.

xxxXXXxxx

Ever since he had arrived for his medical checkup about half an hour ago, Tony had been avoiding staring Bruce in the eye. Banner had pretended that he had not noticed Tony's apprehension, but after thinking that maybe Tony was hiding something medically relevant from him, the doctor had had enough.

"OK, spit it out," Bruce said, taking off his glasses and crossing his arms. Tony shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed while Bruce pulled up a chair and sat in it, facing his friend. "We don't have all day, you know? Fury is waiting for us."

Tony rubbed his forehead with his fingers as he did when he was having trouble with putting his racing thoughts in order so that he could form coherent sentences to relay what was worrying him. After clearing his throat and popping his knuckles, he finally spoke. "How am I? Really,"

Bruce eyed him for a moment before lowering his gaze to the medical chart and reading off it. "Lab tests came back clear; everything is within normal range, including your blood pressure. There are no traces of either the 1.0 or the mixture you created for yourself. As far as I'm concerned, you're in perfect shape."

"Does Pepper…does she know what I did?"

Bruce nodded, causing Tony to flare his nostrils. "I didn't want her to know. I know you had to tell her, and that's fine, but I didn't want to give her false hope that I could cure her."

_False hope_; the familiar phrase made Bruce remember the scene that would forever be engrained in his brain. Tony noticed the split second of terror that crossed Banner's face and he narrowed his eyes.

"Bruce, what's wrong?"

"Uh…" Banner said, not sure of how much information to relay to Tony. Even though he had been awake for a few hours, and he had already been told about most of the fight and the consequences it had had on each member of the team, he had no idea what had happened the day he had first gone into cardiac arrest. "Look, Tony…about Pepper…"

Tony tensed up, his face turning into one of fear. "What? What is it?"

"She had a seizure. She hasn't had one since, but she did."

Tony exhaled deeply and looked away from Bruce. "I know."

"She told you?"

"No. I saw it. I saw it happen."

The room was silent for a while as Bruce got up and walked around. There was nothing additional he needed to do, but he felt as if he had to move around to release some tension. "You saw it?"

Tony nodded, not really believing it himself either. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, and maybe I just imagined it when it happened, or whatever, but I remember it. It's fuzzy and choppy, but I saw it."

"What else did you see, or remember?"

Tony snorted. "You know, after the battle of New York and after defeating Killian, I really thought I was done with experiencing things I couldn't explain. I'm a scientist, Banner, I don't believe in the Tooth Fairy or the Loch Ness Monster…or…"

Bruce nodded, understanding where Tony's speech was heading. "So, how did you make it back?"

"I…I found my way," Tony began, staring into space. "I saw a lot of things when I was out. I don't know if they were forgotten memories or what, but…the last one; it was so real."

"What did you see?"

"My kids. Pepper and my kids," he swallowed hard. "I saw them. I don't know if I was dreaming, but just as I was about to let go, I saw them. They were running in a park, Pepper chasing them and pretending she could not catch up to them even as they tripped on the grass."

If Tony had been staring at Bruce, he would have seen the look of incredulity on his face; the doctor knew exactly the scene Tony was referring to; he had been there to witness it himself.

"You were there too, you know," Tony continued. "And Rhodey, and Happy, and Clint and Natasha…Cap…Maria, even Fury. You were all there…I think I might have seen Jarvis there, too. But all I could focus on was them. My kids…my wife…the family I was leaving behind. It hurt, because I somehow knew they were beyond my reach. I could hear them and see them, but I couldn't get near them. I thought that maybe that was my last bit of good luck, you know. Seeing them and knowing they would eventually be happy without me around. I was letting go, I swear I was, but then…"

Tony shook his head and he remained silent as he gathered enough courage to continue. "She saw me, Pepper…she…she stopped chasing them for a second and stared right at me. I don't know how but I could feel she was looking at me, knew that I was there. She…she smiled at me," he choked. "She…That's when I knew I couldn't leave her; leave them. It wasn't my time. Next thing I know I'm waking up…"

Tony scoffed, discretely wiping the tears off his eyes. "It sounds crazy, right?"

"Crazy is your normal, Tony."

Tony chuckled. "Yeah…yeah, I guess so," he said as he got up from the bed and clasped his hands together. "Are we done here?"

"I guess we are," Bruce added and began walking to the door, followed by Tony. As soon Bruce placed a hand on the doorknob, Tony held it in place with his own hand.

"Wait," Tony exhaled. "I just want to…you didn't give up…"

Bruce shrugged. "Why would I?"

"You could've…but I'm glad you didn't."

Bruce gave him a half smile and Tony removed his hand from Bruce's, allowing the doctor to open the door. As they began their walk down the hall to exit the ICU section of the infirmary, Tony cleared his throat. "You're not a failure, you know. Your father is a douche."

Banner smiled and shook his head at Tony who shrugged back at him. Perhaps, the doctor did not have to keep that part of his life a secret. Perhaps, in time, he would be able to share his gift with Iron Man.

xxxXXXxxx

The conference room was filled again, this time by every Avenger on duty. The projection screen was up and running showing a map of the village, but this time it was Tony who was leading the meeting. The lighthearted Tony that had shared brunch with his friends this morning was now gone, having been replaced with all-business Iron Man.

"It was about here," Tony said as he pointed at the map. "He was right here and I have a suspicion that he's the one who sent the soldiers to Mexico. He's full of himself; worse than me, I think. And he's strong; very strong."

"Stronger than the Hulk?" Bruce asked, already wanting a one-on-one meeting with the man that had almost killed all of his friends, and had led an army of soldiers to ransack a village.

"Not _that_ kind of strong," Tony clarified. "Resourceful, I guess is the correct word. It took me a while to get close enough to him to scratch him. He was using something, I don't know what it was. I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary on him, but he got me out of my suit and almost electrocuted me to death. What's really fucked up about it, though, is that he said he was the real Mandarin."

Pepper looked away from Tony and then stared down at her glowing hands. The fight she had sustained with the man was not very clear to her, mostly blocked out by the Extremis taking over her as it did sometimes, but now that Tony had brought it up, the very few bits and pieces she did remember were acquiring more sense to her.

"He was…he did. H-he told me…I asked him…he took responsibility for their deaths; he said he was…something about riding the world of filth," Pepper said out loud, stumbling over her words as the memories came back to her.

"Filth?" Steve asked. "Is this guy some sort of modern-day Hitler?"

"Could be for all I know," Tony responded. "He knew who I was. I mean, everyone knows who I am, but…it sounded as if he had been stalking us or something. He knew about Trevor. He knew about the show Killian put up for everyone to see."

"Do you think Killian is working for him?" Natasha asked.

Tony shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. He was pretty pissed that someone took his image, though. So, I'm gonna guess he didn't have permission to do that."

"Well, he knows about my training," Pepper added, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "He told me I had learned a lot, and even though you guys have been training me…I think he meant to imply that Killian was preparing me for something."

The information was new for most of them, but not for Tony. He knew the Mandarin had wanted her, but he was yet to figure out for what purpose.

"What else did he tell you?" Barton asked.

"He said I was close to being ready. He didn't say for what, though. He said…" Pepper began, digging into her mind to find the exact word the Mandarin had used for her. "He said I'd be worshipped; just like him."

"Worshipped?" Rhodey asked, speaking the thoughts in everyone's mind. "What is he talking about? A sacrifice or something?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. All eyes went to Tony, who was now staring intently at Pepper. She could not hold his stare, knowing he was already worrying about her falling prey to whatever plan the Mandarin had for her. She did not want him to worry, to sacrifice his life again. She had just got him back; she did not want to go through it again.

"He was adamant to have you, Pep. He said he wanted you," Tony said, his angry voice betraying his calm face.

"Why? What for?"

Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest. He had hoped that the chance to relay his theory did not come up, but seeing that the best way to keep Pepper protected was for her to know what could happen to her, he relented his efforts to keeping them in the dark.

"He was pretty pissed that I had the virus in me."

"He wasn't the only one," Pepper spat once she regain composure.

"Granted, but he was REALLY mad. He said I wasn't worthy of it. He said my tech was nothing compared to the…Mc-something."

"Mc-something?" Fury asked.

"I don't remember the actual word!" Tony defended himself. "It was a weird word...and I was dying."

"Did he say anything to you about it, Pepper?" Hill asked as she typed furiously on her laptop.

"Mc-something? No, I don't think so."

"I think our next step is to talk to Killian, right?" Steve suggested.

"Speaking of which," Bruce spoke up, getting the attention of the room. "I've reviewed the tape you sent me, Maria."

"What tape?" Tony and Pepper asked in unison.

"This tape," Maria said as she made sure it projected on the screen. Pepper and Tony were seeing it for the first time. Natasha could not see that clear just yet, but Clint was describing it to her. Once the tape stopped, Bruce pulled up his laptop and opened it up.

"Remember that box we had installed in his cell, Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it recorded the conversation."

Everyone perked at hearing this. Fury and Maria stared at each other, realizing how stupid of them it had been to not consider trying to find out some audio recording of the event, but then again the investigation had somewhat been halted while his team recovered. "What do you have, Banner?" Fury asked, his curiosity pushing all formalities aside.

"Why don't we listen to it, and you tell me."

Banner pressed a few buttons on his laptop and raised the volume of the speakers. The entire room went quiet as the recording began.

"_You have a lot of nerve coming here to see me like this. I can burn you to ash if I want to."_ All of them turned to the image on the screen, narrowing their eyes at the image of Killian talking to himself.

"_Who sent you here?"_

The recording went silent again, and after a few seconds Killian's voice was heard once more. _"The Source is learning fast. She will be ready soon. I plan to escort her to his mansion myself."_

At the mention of the words 'she' and 'learning' everyone turned to stare at Pepper. Their stares continued as Killian's voice was heard once more. _"It was metaphorical. She will go there herself, without knowing what awaits her, but only when she's ready."_

The stares swapped from Pepper to Tony, who had a look of barely controlled anger on his face. The heroes returned their attention to the audio recording.

_"What does he want now? I can help with that."_

They remained silent as they waited for Killian's next words, and it was obvious to them that Aldrich was growing scared of whoever he thought he was talking to.

_"I didn't… I did what he asked me to do. I was testing the product…"_

"Extremis," Bruce mumbled and everyone nodded his way.

_"Look, he obviously still needs me for something or he would've killed me by now. He has the books, and I'm sure he can get a hold of my work with me locked up in here."_

The pause in the recording did not last long_. __"So, are you here to kill me? Which is? You could've said that as soon as you got here. How do you operate, then?"_

The voice recording ended, leaving the Avengers with more questions than what they had originally had when they had walked inside the room.

* * *

**A/N:** Can you say: HOLY CRAP! I can: HOLY CRAP! The support never ceases to bring a smile on my face. I have a very busy week ahead of me, but I think weekends are turning out to be the best time to write, anyway. Please sit tight until next weekend, and thank you everyone for your favs/follows/reviews and PM's


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Frank had been thrilled to find out he had been re-hired to coordinate and execute the already much delayed Stark birthday party. He had not been given the specifics of why the party had been cancelled in the first place, but he had come up with some theories of his own. His clients were superheroes after all, and superheroes did not have the most stable or easiest lives out there.

What was even more exciting for him and his crew was the fact that not only where they working with Iron Man and his wife, but that the list of guests including the other Avengers, particularly Captain America, of whom Frank was a great fan. The event coordinator had mingled with some of the most important and wealthy people around the country, but nothing he had ever done before beat socializing with Earth's mightiest heroes.

The phone rang inside his temporary office in the Stark Mansion and he was quick to pick it up by pressing on the wireless receiver in his ear. "This is Frank."

_ "Frank, it's Pierre, the caterer!"_

"Oh, yeah, of course, of course, Pierre! What update do you have for me?"

_"The feast is _finito_! My boys are heading your way to set up."_

Frank clasped his hands and stood up from the chair he was in. "Marvelous, Pierre! You never disappoint. When are you coming?"

_"I'll be there very soon. Are the guests arriving yet?"_

Frank walked to the window of the room. He was not sure who was a guest and who was not since everyone down in the backyard was helping out with the setup of tables and chairs. "I honestly can't tell. These are the most involved clients I've ever had."

_ "Well, I'm heading out now. See you in about an hour. Oui?"_

"Absolutely! See you then, Pierre!" Frank tapped on his earpiece to end the call, amused as always at the fact that Pierre regularly used either French or Italian words in conversation and was neither, but an American man born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was already dressed for the party, but he knew his clients were nowhere near to being ready for receiving their guests. Stopping at his desk to pick up his electronic tablet before exiting the room, Frank decided it was time to give them the push needed to leave everything in his capable hands.

"Let's get this show started."

xxxXXXxxx

An hour after Frank had forced everyone to go get changed, the guests had begun arriving at the mansion. Not everyone who had been originally invited to the party had been able to rearrange their schedule on such short notice, but they had been sending the kids their gifts either way. For the most part, at least half of the original guests had already arrived, which translated to a busy home.

Tony currently found himself welcoming some of the members of the board of SI who had flown in from New York to attend the event. Some of the guests they had invited did not have children of their own, but instead had brought their own grandchildren so that the birthday kids had other youngsters to play with.

"Mr. Stark, it's wonderful to see you up and about," Diana Tyler, the CEO of the New Hope Medical Research facilities told Tony as she shook his hand. "I have to admit our meetings have been boring due to them lacking your amusing parenthood display," she joked, referring to the time Tony had been feeding his kids while attending a teleconference with the board.

"Yeah, well, superhero stuff called, you know."

"I'm sure it did," Diana said, shaking her head disapprovingly but her tone revealing she was just poking some good natured fun at the billionaire. "Is Mrs. Stark around? I'd like to give her these," she said as she showed Tony two boxes of gifts.

Tony's eyes scanned his backyard and as soon as he spotted Pepper talking to the DJ, he pointed to her. "There she is, but you can leave those over there," he added as he pointed to the gift table near the inflatable trampoline.

"Very well. Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Stark."

"Please, call me Tony."

"Tony," the woman said before waving goodbye to her boss and walking directly to the gift table. Tony's attention returned to the next incoming guest who was already being greeted by Frank. As with everyone, Frank introduced himself before sending the guest to meet up with Tony.

"Tony! Where have you been hiding?" Mr. Yates, another member of the board, asked Tony with a hug. "You can tell you're the CEO of your own company! We're over there stuck doing all the work, and you're here enjoying yourself and your family!" he joked.

Tony smiled at the man in return. Happy and S.H.I.E.L.D. had kept Tony's hospitalization under wraps, telling his company that he was away on a mission with the Avengers. The board members, used to Tony's antics, had not questioned the information in the least. "Well, such is the life of a superhero, right?"

"Superhero?" The man inquired. "I thought you had retired from that?" the man winked.

"Retired? Do you think Batman has ever truly retired?"

The man laughed. "True, true. But Batman has writers who just come up with new problems for him. Plus he doesn't have a wife and kids that we know of!"

"Well, we all have our hidden talents; mine is to juggle married life with superhero work. Anyway, why don't you go say hi to everyone? If you're lucky, you might even get a signed autographed of Captain America," Tony said as he had told many of the guests in an effort to keep Steve from boring himself to death.

And maybe, just to annoy him, too.

xxxXXXxxx

Clint and Natasha sat in the one booth that was farthest from the screaming kids and chatty guests. This was the first birthday party for kids they had ever attended, having not done so even when they were kids themselves. The assassins were not ones to engage in casual conversation with strangers unless on a mission and even then their words were always carefully planned and thought out.

Natasha had most of her eyesight back at this point, but she was still waiting to see if she would get her 20-20 vision back, so it was the perfect excuse to remain in their seats and not be walking around and attempting to carry small talk with the invitees. Clint had not complained about sitting around and doing nothing so far, but that did not mean he was not restless and eager to burn some of his never-ending energy.

Even though laughter and playfulness was all around them, the Widow's mind was far away from it all. Since their meeting where Tony revealed that the enemy they were facing was the real Mandarin –and after finding no information on the man – Romanoff was beginning to doubt they would ever have the upper hand on a man who could control the weather at will. If this had been any day before the Congo mission, she would have not been bothered by the lack of intel on the guy, but after New York and a close brush with death, she was again doubting her ability to save her own ass from kicking the bucket whenever the time came to face the new enemy. It was not that she feared for her own life; she feared for Clint's life and the extremes he could go to in order to save hers.

Just as he had done in the Congo; she still had nightmares about what would have happened to Clint had Hulk not shielded them from the blasts.

Clint's thoughts were not far from hers, as he too was concerned about what they were all getting themselves into. Last time, they had been lucky enough to come out of the mission alive, if only barely. Next time, however, their luck could potentially run out, especially if the Mandarin was as powerful as Pepper and Tony had described him to be.

Hawkeye discretely grabbed her hand under the table, lacing their fingers together before bringing it up to his lips and placing a chaste kiss on her hand. Natasha eyed from him the corner of her eye, smiling just enough for him to see she was acknowledging his action. They remained silent for a while longer until she felt Clint tense up. Natasha stole a quick glance at him and noted his eyes were scanning something in the distance. She followed his eyes' path and could not help but smirk when she saw the clowns arriving at the party.

"It's alright," she told him. "I'll keep them away from you."

Hawkeye scoffed at her obvious joke, but still felt a pang of gratitude at the simple gesture the usually cold and calculating Widow reserved just for him.

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper marched up to Tony with a look on her face he had only seen on her when she was upset at something he had done. In the few steps it took Pepper to reach him, Tony's mind raced to list all the things he could have possibly done to upset her, and matched them with possible justifications for his actions; just as he always did when he saw that look on her.

"You look beautiful today, my love!"

"Save it, Tony," she raised her palm to him. "I can't believe you did this to poor Steve!"

Tony was taken aback; he had not even spoken to him since he and the others had arrived earlier today to help set up the games, booths and chairs. For an instant, the look of confusion on Tony's face almost convinced his wife that he truly had no idea what she was referring to until his wide eyes gave him away.

"Technically, Pep, I didn't do anything to him."

"Really? Nothing? You haven't been sending everyone at this party and their mother to ask him for an autograph?"

Tony fought the urge to laugh but his quivering lips were all Pepper needed to narrow her eyes at him. "Oh, my GOD, Tony! How could you possibly think this was funny? You know Steve left? We haven't even started feeding our guests and he already LEFT!"

"I, uhm…" the billionaire stuttered, rubbing his chin with his hand as he thought of a good retort for Pepper's accusations. "Maybe he doesn't understand the concept of a party. I mean, he's really old, right? Maybe he's developing Alzheimer's and he forgot where he's supposed to be?"

Pepper crossed her arms over her chest and her left eyebrow rose up as a sign of her skepticism. Tony, on the other hand, began staring all around him, trying to find the perfect distraction to make his run. "It's not _my _fault he's so famous!" he put his hands on his hips. "Besides, what makes you think _I_ had anything to do with everyone asking him for an autograph?"

"Thanks for the tip, Mr. Stark," an ill-timed Mr. Yates said as he walked by the couple. "My grandson is going to love this signed Captain America t-shirt!" The man added as he patted Tony's back and continued his trek to his vehicle to store away his precious cargo.

Tony's lips thinned and Pepper's eyes narrowed. She almost smiled when she saw the side of Tony's mouth twitch in that way it always did when he was angry at being caught, but she used all of her willpower to remain as stoic as ever. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

The billionaire rolled his eyes and exhaled in an overly dramatic way. "FINE! Let me go call him and ask him to come back. It's not like there's anyone left to sign an autograph for, anyway!"

"Tony," Diana Tyler yelled from afar. "Have you seen Captain America? He was supposed to sign my bra!"

Tony's only response was to hang his head.

xxxXXXxxx

His _search_ for his cell phone led him inside the home. It was not as if there were not plenty of other available phones out there, or as if Jarvis was not able to dial on command, but Tony had wanted to remove himself from the backyard long enough to avoid Pepper's rage. If Tony had not heard it from Pepper that someone –an older and very nervously-sweaty man, had asked Steve to sign his butt cheek, he would have never believed it.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Tony let out a sigh of relief. He definitely did not like it when Pepper was mad at him, but he had not been able to stop himself from pranking the boy scout of the group. He knew Steve would be too polite to decline giving out autographs, but he never imagined the request would turn out to be better than he expected.

As he took out his cell phone from his pants pocket and was getting ready to dial, the faint sound of movement near him put his senses on high alert. Since the Congo mission, they had not been allowed to continue their tracking of Extremis soldiers despite the success of the cure. Nick Fury had place all of them in temporary vacation mode to recover from the failed experience, and to allow Tony and Bruce to create an airborne version of the cure so that S.H.I.E.L.D. missiles could just dump it near infected humans to remove the source of their powers without resorting to hand-to-hand combat.

Tony remained still as he waited for more sounds to reach his ears. He knew that if an enemy had made it past his initial perimeter defenses, Jarvis would had already notified him eons ago. Tony's thoughts then went to the possibility that perhaps whoever was roaming around his house was none other than the man that had almost taken his life and Pepper's.

_If he can control the weather, he probably has the means to commit B&E_, Stark thought as the sound was heard again. Paying closer attention to its origin, Tony began walking toward the door to his right, taking small steps to avoid his stomps giving away his location. The closer he got to the door, the louder the noises became.

Learned from his stay at his cabin in Colorado, Tony stopped near the entrance door. Inside one of the decorative vases was a gun. It was not loaded for the safety of his kids, but it would still scare whoever had invaded his home.

Unless, of course, the intruder happened to be the Mandarin himself.

His short but consistent steps finally had him standing before the closed door where the sounds were coming from, gun in hand. He swallowed hard as his free hand neared the doorknob and surrounded it as quietly as possible. After counting down in his mind, Tony opened the door and aimed his gun at…them.

Them.

The look of shock on their faces was evident, but neither of them made an attempt to let go of the other's embrace. Steve's mouth and its contours were surrounded by red lipstick that had once been on Maria Hill's lips. Their clothes and hair were disheveled, and many of the clothes around them that had once been on hangers laid on the floor.

The silence between the three of them was deafening and broken only when Tony cleared his throat before finally speaking aloud. "Yeah, sure, why not?" and the door to the closet was closed once more.

xxxXXXxxx

Tony's discretion so far was unbelievable. Other than some questioning glances toward Maria and Steve, he was yet to start his typical prodding and teasing. Maria and Steve could not pick up any signs that anyone else had either seen then, heard them or had been told by Stark what had occurred inside the closet. Neither of them had planned it, nor had they even considered doing such during a kid's birthday party nonetheless, but the time together since the Avengers' return from the Congo mission had been well spent.

The night had already fallen, and tomorrow the team would return to full duty at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base after little over a month of being indisposed. All of them, including Natasha, were scheduled and expected to restart their usual training routines. In addition to training, Pepper was booked to meet with Killian, and Tony and Bruce were going to test their prototype of the airborne cure for Extremis 1.0 on Michael and Raul.

Therefore, the Avengers immediate and extended family found themselves in Stark Mansion's living room, surrounded by boxes of gifts –some opened, some awaiting to be opened. Steve, Maria, and Bruce sat on the floor, eyeing the already opened gifts before passing them to Happy and Rhodey. Clint and Natasha were standing by the dining table behind the couch, examining the gifts with caution to make sure no hidden threats were embedded in them. Nick Fury sat by one of the edges of the couch to keep a wheelchair-bound Coulson close company. Happy and Rhodey sat on the other edge of the bed, playing (or testing, as they called it) with the toys Natasha and Clint had deemed to be safe. Jarvis sat close enough to the action for his head and ears to perk up every now and then, but for the most part the pooch was tired of being petted all day. The birthday twins sat on either parent's lap –Gwyneth with Pepper and Robert with Tony – in the middle of the large couch, as both Pepper and Tony helped them open their gifts.

Even though the main focus of the last vestiges of the party was to watch the curious faces of the twins as they opened their gifts, and relax before the reality of superhero life hit them all tomorrow, the conversations amongst the guests were varied. Sometimes they would all talk about the same topic but then they would break into groups and talk to either someone next to them or someone across the room. The dynamic between them was so fluid that a bystander could have sworn these gatherings were the daily norm for them all.

"Look at this, Gigi," Tony told his daughter as he handed her a cloth doll. "It's yours," he added when the little girl reached out to her father and with all the coordination a toddler could muster she pulled it close to her body. "This one is from your daddy, can you say daddy?"

"Will you give it a rest, Tony? They'll talk when they're ready," Pepper chastised him.

"Oh, come on, Pepper," Bruce defended his science brother. "They're about as old as needed for their first words to come out."

"Oh, I know that, Bruce," Pepper stared at Tony accusatory. "But forcing them to say 'daddy' instead of 'mommy' by recording the word and playing it ALL night when the babies are trying to sleep is too much, don't you think?"

Bruce's mouth –along with anyone who was listening to the couple's conversation, hung. Banner shook his head at Tony who did nothing else but shrug. "Did you seriously record yourself saying 'daddy' and play it for your kids at night?"

"Just once…"

"Tony…" Pepper sighed.

"Twice…" he amended.

"Stark…"

"Three…ten…alright! Fine!" Tony said, exasperated that his wife would not let him lie. "I've done that since Jarvis told me the kids could start talking any time!"

"And that has been since?" Nick asked, not wanting to pass the opportunity to make fun of the mostly arrogant man.

"A week?"

"Tony…"

"Mr. Stark has been implementing the recording technique for about 6 weeks now," the AI interjected, sounding as tired of hearing Tony's lies as Pepper felt.

"You backstabber!" Tony pointed his finger to the floor. "Nobody asked you to answer the question, Jarvis!"

"That is an astute observation, sir."

"Are you giving me lip, again?" The echoes of muffled chuckles coming from the guests were not deterred by Tony's annoyed tone. "Because I can reprogram you again tonight!"

"Tony," Pepper placed a placating hand on his shoulder. "Leave Jarvis alone; it's not his fault you want to push your kids to say their first word…even if the methods border on child abuse."

"Child abuse? What_ exactly_ is abusive about playing a recording over, and over, and over and over again when the kids are trying to…" he narrowed his eyes. "You know what, nevermind. I just answered my own question."

Pepper chuckled and returned her attention to the kids when she noticed they had begun fighting over one of the toys. "You have to share, now, or neither of you gets to play with it," she lifted the toy from their reach, which caused Tony to point a finger at her.

"HA! See! Child abuse, right there! Practice what you preach, Potts!"

"I thought you said her last name was no longer Potts, Stark?" Fury chided in. "Practice what you preach, Tony."

"Ah, shut up!" Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You know what; I don't have to take this abuse and in my own home, nonetheless. I'm gonna go walk Jarvis."

"Jawis."

"No, Jarvis," Tony corrected.

"Jawis," the tiny voice said again.

"OK, who's making fun of my dog, now?" Tony asked as he stood up from the couch with Robert in his arms, readying himself to take the baby boy with him on his walk with the canine.

"Tony…" Pepper stared up at her husband with wide eyes. Tony looked at her before feeling the stares of everyone else falling on him. "What? What is it?"

"I don't think your recording worked, Stark," Maria offered.

"What? Why?"

"Are you taking Jarvis out for a walk, Tony?" Pepper asked and waited for what she knew was coming.

"Jawis."

Tony heard it this time, his eyes going from staring at Pepper's face to Gwyneth's. He placed Robert where he had been sitting on the couch before crouching closer to his daughter. "Gigi? Did you just say Jarvis?"

The little girl smiled at her father, patting her doll with her uncoordinated hand before speaking again. "Jawis."

The room was silent until Tony spoke again. "Is my kid's first word the dog's name?"

"You mean, Jarvis?" Pepper asked with a smile.

"Jawis," Gwyneth repeated, sounding as proud as she could in her young age. "Jaaaawiiiissss…"

Tony's mouth twitched for the second time today.

"It could've been worse, Tony," Steve began, having waited too long to exert some revenge on the man that had been responsible for the vivid memory of signing a man's ass, which would remain in the mind of the super soldier for the rest of his life. "She could have said a real person's name instead of yours."

"Mr. Rogers is correct," the AI chipped in, hoping to cut the tension he could read coming from Tony, but he soon realized his mistake when the little girl pointed a finger toward the ceiling and spoke the only word she knew so far.

"Jawis."

Tony's eye began to twitch. "I'll be back later," he walked toward Jarvis and snapped his fingers toward the dog to call his attention. "Much later," he added as he and his canine companion neared the door. Without bothering to leash Jarvis, Tony opened the door and stood still for a moment before turning around and facing the crowd.

"By the way, Hill and Rogers were making out in the closet earlier today," he said with a smile before running away like hell, closely followed by his dog, and leaving everyone else staring at a red-faced Steve Rogers and Maria Hill.

* * *

**A/N:** Soooo…my parents (who I haven't seen since Christmas) are coming by tomorrow and staying the weekend; which means a chapter marathon probably won't happen this weekend. To make up for it, here is an early chapter, and I'm hoping I can squeeze one more tomorrow. If I can't, I'm sorry in advance This is just the calm before the storm…what drama do I have in store for our favorite heroes? Only time will tell…literally, cuz I need time to write the chapters


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22  
**

Pepper's eyes were as moist as Tony's, and the billionaire did not care if his teammates heard about him having to sniffle as he held his kids in his arms. The two parents surrounded their children, kissing the top of their heads and their tiny hands. In response, the unsuspecting toddlers smiled up at their sad parents, using their little hands to grab onto the adults' shirts. Just a few days ago the four of them had been enjoying present opening time, and today they were saying goodbye for who-knew how long.

"I'm gonna miss you, sweetheart. Daddy's gonna miss you _so_ much," Tony whispered to Gwyneth before directing his attention to Robert. "And you, you take care of your sister, OK? Don't let anything happen to her; you're a tough little boy –you're a Stark."

Pepper hugged her kids once more, hoping her tight embrace was enough to tell them how much it pained her to let them go as the words just would not come out of her mouth. The knock on their bedroom door told them the time had come to let them go, and even though they knew this moment had been coming since the choice had been theirs, it did not make it any easier on either of them.

"Come in," Tony answered the knock. Immediately after his invitation, Happy and Ms. Smith walked in, hesitant to break the moment between them but knowing they had a job to do. "It's OK," Tony reassured them, wiping tears with the back of his hand. "We're ready, I think."

Pepper was yet to utter a word, but she nodded in agreement with her husband. Happy's face was one of sadness as he approached Tony and squeezed his shoulder. "Their stuff is in the car, Boss. Are you sure you don't want to come with us outside?"

Tony shook his head. "It's better this way," he answered, leaving out how he did not want to see the car drive away with his children. He grabbed Gwyneth and was going to pull her away from Pepper's fierce grip but he was not able to make her budge. "Pep, Honey, it's time."

Pepper sniffled again and gave the twins one last kiss on their foreheads before finally letting Happy and Ms. Smith take them from her arms. The void in her embrace was immediately filled by Tony's arms, securing her in them and supporting her in the only way he could for now. Happy held Robert, and Gillian held Gwyneth, both giving Tony and Pepper one last look at their kids.

"Don't forget Jarvis, Hap," Tony said as he snapped his fingers at the canine and pointed to the departing group. "Watch over them, OK? You understand, Jarvis?"

"Jawis," Gwyneth said as she tried to snap her fingers just as Tony had just now and giggling hard. What had once been endearing for the couple was now a small stab to their heart knowing damn well that the small voice would be taken away in just a second.

"Yes, Gigi," the billionaire agreed with the toddler. "Jawis."

"We'll call you when we get there, Tony," Happy said as he began walking toward the door, Jarvis and Gillian behind him. Tony nodded to his former bodyguard but said nothing else.

"It'll be alright, Mr. Stark, Mrs. Stark," Gillian assured them as she closed the door, leaving behind even more tears in the parent's eyes than when they had first walked inside the couple's room. They stared at the door in silence for a long minute as if it would suddenly burst open to reveal the end of a sick joke, but they knew better than that.

Tony helped Pepper walk to their bed and guided her to sit at the foot of it. He then sat next to her on the mattress and hugged her from the side, placing kisses on her forehead and rocking her back and forth as she cried. He knew it was up to him to be strong for her, but he could not think of anything good to say to ease the ache. In fact, now that he thought about it more, what could anyone possibly say to a mother who had just parted with their kids and does not know when or if they will see them again, especially when the mother had not been around her kids much since they had been born?

"We're doing the right thing, Pepper. It sucks and it hurts, but it's the best thing for them. If I didn't know you'd come right back, I'd hide you, too." He reached for his back pocket and took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Pepper took it and used to dry her face and wipe her nose.

"Don't be ridiculous, Tony," she chided him. "There's no way I'm letting you face the Mandarin alone. I know the kids will be safer in your cabin in Colorado, but…you know…" she let her words trail, feeling another bout of tears coming out.

"I know, Pep. I know. And, if there was another way…"

Pepper nodded and surrounded Tony with her arms, pulling him closer to her. She needed to feel him near; feel that she was not in this alone. They had discussed it long and hard for the past few days, and sending their children away while they all figured out how to stop the Mandarin had come up as the only way to give them a chance to be away from the upcoming battle. Even though Nick had offered the highest level of protection for them, they both knew that the secure facility that was S.H.I.E.L.D. could turn into the most dangerous place in the world in a blink.

"Happy will keep an eye on them…and _Jawis_, too," he joked, and to his surprise, Pepper chuckled lightly.

"And Jawis, too," she agreed. Letting out a deep breath and feeling her body suddenly weighed a ton, she slid up the bed until her head rested on the pillows and then lay on her right side. Tony took off his shoes and hers before climbing up and lying behind her, curled his arms around her form and rested the side of his face on her head. "It's only temporary, Honey. As soon as this shit is over, we're done."

Pepper nodded lightly as she recalled their recent conversation with Director Fury. After a long deliberation, Tony and Pepper had notified Nick of their decision to retire –truly retire, from the Avengers team after the Mandarin was brought to justice. Tony had agreed to still offer his consulting services to S.H.I.E.L.D., but other than maybe sending the Mark XLIV to the field, neither he nor Pepper would take place in any of the physical fights any longer. Director Fury had agreed with them knowing the Stark family was just that: a family, which meant they needed to start acting and thinking like one.

"When are we gonna go get our stuff from the mansion?" The arsonist asked her husband.

"Whenever you feel like it. I think we have enough clothes to last us for two more days. I can always go by myself, if you'd prefer." Tony responded referring to their other major decision of moving into their quarters at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base until the issue with the Extremis was resolved. The commute back and forth between the mansion and the base was long, and they were both aware that their expertise and presence was greatly needed close by. In addition, Pepper had appointed an interim CEO to run the company while they were away on "superhero business."

"This feels like the most depressing vacation, ever, doesn't it?" The strawberry blonde joked.

"You ain't kidding," he responded before kissing her temple. "I promise, Pepper, after the Mandarin bites the dust, I'll take you and the twins to a real vacation. We've earned it."

"That we have," she agreed, closing her eyes and concentrating on resting for now and enjoying the rare moment of peace and quiet between them. Just as of late, as soon as her eyes closed her body shut down along with them; and, as of recently as well, her dreams immediately took her to the day she met her kids for the first time.

_She knew Tony hated hospitals, but even Pepper did not dare to try and fix the damage she had done to him while under the influence of Killian. His left arm was broken, at the least, and after passing out on the battlefield Pepper had insisted that he was taken to a real doctor. Since the hospital she had taken him to was the S.H.I.E.L.D. one, Tony had not been as upset as he would have been had she taken him to a regular medical facility._

_These thoughts crossed her mind as she waited outside the room where Tony was being given the last round of checkups before they could return to the penthouse in Stark Tower. Natasha and Clint had made sure Pepper's family was secured at the base, pending examination to remove the virus from them. Happy had taken upon himself the task of moving the twins –which she was yet to meet in person, from her parents' home to the tower. Officially, the kids belonged to CPS for now, but the agency had agreed for Pepper to meet them before they were placed in the state's custody while Tony's lawyers and Coulson worked some magic to expedite the process of bringing them home for good._

_The door opening beside her startled her out of her thoughts. Tony Stark, cast surrounding his broken arm, walked out of the small room with a smug smile on his face. Even after almost losing his life to the strength of his wife, he was looking as nonchalant as ever. Pepper met him halfway in the hall, noting how quickly and awkwardly the examining doctor left the premises after Tony had stepped out of the room._

"_Is everything alright?" Her inquiry was answered when Tony used his good arm to pull her toward him by her neck and placed a slow kiss on her lips. Pepper responded immediately, also relieved that they had made it out of another catastrophe with nothing to show but a broken arm. They had not discussed the failed proposal incident, but she assumed that the apparent breakup was in the past for Tony as well._

"_Now it is," he responded when he ended the kiss. "Are we ready to ditch this place? I want to go home."_

_Pepper nodded, grabbed his good hand in hers, and led them both out of the medical wing of the base. Five minutes after filling out the release forms, the couple was in their vehicle and heading to the tower. An hour later, Pepper and Tony found themselves inside their private elevator, heading to the penthouse._

_With every new floor button that lit up, Pepper grew even more restless. She knew Happy and her children were waiting for them in the upper floor of the building, and while the thought would had made any new mother thrilled, Pepper's current feelings were everything but so plain and simple. Besides the videos and images Jarvis had shown her of the twins, she was yet to hold them in her arms. What if they cried? What if they did not like her? What if they somehow resented her for not being the mother she should have been?_

_Tony's hand on her elbow brought her back to reality. She swallowed hard as the doors finally opened, and she allowed Tony to lead her inside the living room. Hearing their footsteps, Happy arrived to the living room from the kitchen immediately, and practically ran towards the incoming couple._

"_You're here just in time! I'm about to feed them!" He said, too excited to realize he had forgotten to take off his apron. If Tony had intended to poke fun at his former chauffeur, Pepper did not give him a chance by speaking first._

"_Are they in their room?" She asked, biting her nail when Happy nodded to her. "Can…can I see them?"_

"_Of course you can! I've been telling them they get to meet their mommy today," Happy responded, leading them both to the nursery where the wide awake twins awaited their lunch. In just a second, the three of them found themselves inside the nursery. Happy walked to baby girl Stark's crib and picked her up._

_He expertly placed her in his arms and was about to grab one of the baby bottles in his apron but hesitated at the last second. His eyes then went up to stare at Tony before he pointed to Pepper with his chin. She could not see Tony's reaction to Happy's gesture, but she did not need to: Tony walked around her and headed to Happy to pick up the girl from him._

_Pepper stood at the entrance, unable to say or do anything but stare at the little strawberry-blonde baby girl in Tony's arms. She swallowed hard when he stood in front of her, carefully balancing her in his good arm. Without thinking, Pepper's arms lifted from her sides and in an instant the transfer had been made. The realization that she was a mother had not hit as hard as it did in this moment: the moment she held her daughter in her arms._

_Happy walked up to Tony and handed him both bottles before saying he had something to do somewhere and disappeared behind the closed door of the room. Tony remained silent as Pepper's eyes were glued to the little girl who was staring right back at her as if it was common for her to do so._

"_Hello, Gwyneth," Pepper whispered the first instance of the baby's name. While not official on paper, to Tony and Pepper their twins already had names. "I'm…I'm your mommy…"_

_Tony handed one of the bottles to Pepper and she accepted it before placing it near Gwyneth's face. The baby recognized the device and parted her lips, allowing her mother to feed her for the first time. The content sounds of satiated hunger brought tears to Pepper's eyes. "She's eating, Tony. She's…she's real."_

_Tony chuckled at his girl's comment before walking toward baby boy Stark's crib. He lowered the front rail of it so that he could sit down on the tiny mattress with him before mimicking Pepper's actions and placing the bottle in his son's mouth. "Do you want to meet your mommy, Robert?"_

_At hearing her son's name addressed to him for the first time, Pepper felt the tug of an invisible rope pulling her toward the other baby. While making sure Gwyneth still fed properly, she took slow steps toward the baby boy and crouched down on the floor in front of the crib. Tony readjusted the bottle as best as he could with only one working hand before addressing his son once more._

"_You see this gorgeous lady here? She's your mommy, Robert. She's been waiting to meet you."_

_As if the toddler knew what he was being told, his little eyes turned to the side to stare at Pepper and they remained locked onto hers for what seemed to her like an eternity. Not long after, Robert returned his attention to his bottle, imitating the suckling sounds his sister was making._

"_So, what do you think, Pep? We make the best babies ever, huh? It oughta be a crime to be this cute. But, hey! What you gonna do with us for parents!"_

_Pepper's usual response of rolling her eyes at Tony's blatant attempt at self-stroking his ego was nowhere present. Instead, she let out a snicker and what sounded as an almost concealed sob of excitement at his words. The twins were adorable, and even if they were missing an arm or had a third eye, she knew she would love them either way._

"_They're perfect, Tony."_

_Tony scoffed. "Of course they are, Potts! They're Stark certified."_

_This time Pepper did roll her eyes but the smile on her face betrayed her attempt at showing disapproval of his words. "Well, at least it's obvious that neither Rodman nor Carrot Top is their father, right? I mean, I can see Robert is a mini you already –at least in looks, and Gwyneth has inherited her father's I-get-whatever-I-want eyes."_

"_Oh, come on, Pepper! Give yourself some credit! Robert has your eyes, and Gwyneth has your hair color."_

"_I'd say that's about 12% of the credit."_

_Tony's response was to groan loudly and dramatically. "Are we still doing that? Let it go, woman!" he joked._

_ Pepper laughed loudly this time and stared down at her daughter. "I'll make it up to you both, I promise I will."_

_ "We both will. Robbie and Gigi will be the happiest kids there ever were."_

_ "Robbie and Gigi?" Pepper questioned him but smiled nonetheless. "Those are some nice nicknames, Tony."_

_ "So is 'Pepper'."_

"Pepper?" The call of her name made her eyes snap open. Tony was no longer lying behind her, but was crouching down by the edge of the bed, staring up at her with concern written all over his face. "I'm sorry to wake you up, but I have to go meet up with Banner at the lab and I didn't want you to think I just left you out of boredom. Will you be OK?"

"Don't be silly," Pepper shook her head. "I know we both have things to do. And, yeah, I think I'll be OK. I'm gonna sleep a little longer, actually. I feel very tired."

"Alright. How about you call it a day for today and tomorrow morning we go get our stuff from the mansion? The debriefing meeting won't be until very late tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," she mumbled as she closed her eyes once more. "Let me know when Happy calls, please."

"I will, Pep. Now sleep."

The last thing Pepper remembered of the day was feeling Tony's lips on her forehead before she heard the door close.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve made his way inside the Avengers' main training room to find the person for whom he had been looking for an hour. He had been charged with the task of collecting the winner earnings of the latest S.H.I.E.L.D. betting poll to share them with the other man who tied with him. Rogers was not one to gamble but there was only so much he could do to keep himself occupied in between missions, and after finding out people had been betting against him getting Natasha, he decided he had nothing else to lose.

The archer acknowledged the Captain's presence in the room by giving the soldier a light nod before he returned his attention to punching the bag in front of him. Barton hardly ever trained anything other than his bow and arrow skills but lately he had been making a point to practicing his other abilities as much as he spent time in the target range. He had ordered two more guns to be issued to him, as well as other weapons besides his trusty signature deterrent. He had also enrolled in high intensity training with the excuse of making up for lost time, but in reality his motivation was much greater than just recovering his strength. Nobody openly questioned his reason for pushing himself so hard, but everyone with eyes could see that Natasha's brush with death had made the master assassin scrutinize the effectiveness of his defenses in battle.

Rogers held in his hand two envelopes filled with equal amounts of money inside of them. He grabbed one at random and left it atop of Clint's gym bag before catching Hawkeye's attention. "Are you in for the next one? Sitwell wants his money back."

Barton scoffed. "He can pry it out of my cold, dead hands. What's the next batch?"

"There's two right now," he counted with his fingers as he spoke. "How long Killian will last with an intact face once Pepper gets to talk to him; and, how much longer Agent Galaga will go without being caught playing on the job again."

"By Fury or your girlfriend?"

"I…uh," Steve hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. "There's separate pools for each."

Clint noted Rogers had not denied Maria being his girlfriend, but he doubted either of them moved that fast and blamed his hesitation on his lack of experience with women. "Put me down for $20 for five minutes for Pepper and Killian; and, for $50 for another seven days for Galaga by Fury. Maria's _distracted_ right now," he finished with a teasing tone.

"She's still capable of doing her job," Rogers defended her.

Hawkeye smirked and stopped hitting the punching bag after a hard kick. "I didn't say she wasn't, but I've been there, done that. Just passing on advise so that neither of you find yourself where I was a few weeks ago."

The anger that had been quickly rising inside of Rogers died down immediately. He was still pained that he had misread Natasha's actions and had almost caused a strain between him and his teammates, but that did not mean he did not feel for the miserable times Barton had to endure when Romanoff's fate was unknown. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound…well…"

Clint shrugged as he walked to his gym bag and took out the bills he had just listed and handed them to Steve. Rogers took the money from him and put it inside his pocket, making a mental note of how Hawkeye wanted the bets to be placed.

"I haven't spoken to her since…the fight. Is she…OK?"

Clint shrugged again as he began taking off the bandages from his hands. "Physically, yes. Her eyesight is completely back to normal now, and she can kick my ass in training again. She still has some tests Bruce wants to run on her just to make sure the virus – both of them – are out of her system, but he doesn't expect any complications."

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." He said crumpling the bandages in his hands before throwing them inside the bag along with the envelope but did not offer any reason for his reluctance to believe Natasha was truly back to her normal self. He picked up the now closed bag from the floor and swung it over his head to lie across his chest. "Look, Steve, about before…I was jerk to you, obviously, but I'm not usually like that. I was just…well…Natasha, she's…"

Steve waved him off with his hands. "There's no need, Clint. We both acted like idiots. Why don't we just leave it at that?"

Barton thought about it for a second before conceding the point. "Alright," he said. "Hey, what are you doing right now? Anything important?"

"Not much, why?"

"I'm on my way to see Coulson's new office. Wanna come?"

"It's ready? Sure, why not!" Steve responded, honestly enthusiastic about hanging out with Coulson as he followed Clint toward the exit of the training room. "Does he know you're coming by?"

"Nope," Hawkeye said with a mischievous smirk. "Ten bucks I can make him kick me out of it in no more than fifteen minutes," the archer extended his hand toward Steve.

Rogers stared at his hand for a moment and then up at Barton's confident face before accepting his open palm and sealing the deal. "Twenty that it takes no less than five minutes for him to catch on to what you're doing."

Barton chuckled but accepted the counter bet. "You know, knowing Coulson, I think we both will lose this bet."

Hawkeye's words would prove to be prophetic. It had only taken Coulson three minutes to figure out what Barton was trying to do to him, and it had taken sixteen minutes to kick him out.

Neither man won, but Coulson collected $200 bucks in his bet: how long it would take Hawkeye to show up at his new office to try and annoy the hell out of him. At this rate, Sitwell was going to become bankrupt pretty soon.

* * *

**A/N:** There will be some slow chapters for now as the Avengers prep for phase two. Hope you're still hooked :)


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"It seems I may need a larger room next time we meet like this," Fury jested as he watched his team assemble for the conference. If only the God of Thunder was present, he could call it a family reunion. In the row to his right he had Maria Hill, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Erik Selvig and Steve Rogers. To his left he had Phil Coulson – wheelchair and all – James Rhodes, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton. Bruce Banner was away escorting their two guests from the front desk into the room and all three of them were due any minute now.

"You also need a new biochemical weapons contractor. The one you fired sucked," the billionaire said with a wide smile of I-told-you-so all over his features. "Too bad I don't make weapons anymore."

"Too bad, indeed," Nick said with a smile before retorting: "Hey, how's Jawis?"

The smile that had marred Tony's face disappeared as he narrowed his eyes at the Director. "No respect around here for my brains, seriously," he mumbled to himself. "Either way, I was talking about Bruce. He's been good with the chemistry; saved our asses a few weeks ago. I may share him with you if you're nice to me, Nick."

Fury nodded with a joking smirk. He had already thought about the possibility of Banner joining the S.H.I.E.L.D. ranks on a permanent basis as the R&D Director rather than just an Avenger, but he very much doubted that Bruce would like to give up his easy, calm day job as R&D Senior Associate in Stark Industries. "I have a feeling that many things are about to change around here," the Director finally said, unconsciously staring at Maria and then at Steve, with whom he was yet to talk about their incident during the Stark party. "He may just join us all by himself, Stark. You better be ready to offer him a raise."

"Good luck competing with my salary scale," Tony said as the door to the conference room opened. Everyone present – with the exception of Tony – expected Banner and guests to walk in but instead the Mark XLIV appeared at the entrance. Everyone's eyes went from the door to Tony, whose wide smile had returned to his face.

"Come on in! I saved you a seat right here," Tony patted the empty chair between Maria and himself. The suit slowly walked toward its destination, catching the attention of everyone in the room as if it were the first time they saw the suit move on its own accord. Pepper cleared her throat and turned to face her husband with a questioning look to which Tony shrugged off. "What?"

Pepper opened her mouth to ask the obvious question that was in everyone's mind but Tony's snapping of his fingers stopped her. "Oh, you mean him?" he pointed towards the suit. "I figured we needed all the help we can get, and since _someone_," he glared at Fury, "gets pissy when I borrow…"

"'Override,' is the word you're looking for, Stark," Maria corrected Tony.

"Steal," Fury offered.

"Hack," Clint added.

"Nobody says 'hack' anymore, Barton," the General intervened, recalling his conversation with Tony.

"_Borrow_," Tony continued_,_ "the PA system…well…" Tony finished by using his hands to gesture a presentation-pose toward the suit. "I just recruited a new member for the team."

As if on cue, the recognizable British-accented voice came out of the suit of armor. "Greetings, everyone. I hope to be of assistance to you."

"Here's _Jawis_, Nick," Tony added with a wide smile. "He's been given security clearance to match mine and will be roaming around the base as he sees fit to help us."

Pepper covered her face with her hands and shook her head at Tony's audacity. She could not believe she did not see this coming when Fury had ordered Tony to keep the AI off the S.H.I.E.L.D. systems. Then again, she also knew that Jarvis was as much part of the team as everyone else, and that in all honesty, the only reason he was not in the field was because he lacked a physical body with which to march into the unknown with them.

When everyone remained silent and Fury did not veto Jarvis' presence and clearance, it was understood that the AI had just joined the ranks of the superheroes. In his own twisted way, Tony did have a point that they needed as much help as they could get even if it came in the form of a virtual, more polite version of Tony Stark.

"That's settled, I think," Tony clasped his hands. "And, just in time, too" he added when the door opened again to reveal Bruce coming in. The scientist stepped away from the door just enough to allow the two women with him to come inside before locking the door behind them. Most of the team recognized Dr. Foster from the S.H.I.E.L.D. reports on Thor's first visit to Earth, but the younger woman with her was unknown to most.

"Dr. Foster, Miss Lewis; please, take a seat," Fury pointed his open hand toward the only available seats left which happened to be at the end of the table. Bruce sat at the end of the left row, next to Barton, and Jane and Darcy sat in between Bruce and Steve. Both women gave a smile to their former coworker Selvig who had been away in England with them until just a few days ago assisting Jane with her own research before she had been called down to S.H.I.E.L.D. to assist with the Extremis mission.

Darcy's eyes widened when she began recognizing the people in the room. She had seen them on T.V. and magazines all over the place to the point she felt she knew them, but it did not beat being with them in the same room. "Wow! This is, like, totally Twitter-post worthy."

Jane shook her head at Darcy who was already taking out her cell phone and politely asked her to put it away. "Not now, Darcy. Why don't we let them discover your total lack of mouth-filter all by themselves this time?"

"Let the kid do whatever she wants," Tony jumped in. "Mouth filters are so overrated, anyway. Right…_you_?"

"Oh, my God!" Darcy yelped. "Tony Stark just talked to me! He just freakin' spoke to me!"

"And called you a kid, too," Foster added. "I'd apologize for her behavior but I'd be doing that all day long."

"It's quite alright," Pepper interjected. "I kinda gave up doing that for Tony, too. We understand." Pepper's comment was followed by a barely contained chuckle from the bystanders.

"What?" Tony was taken aback. "The girl is obviously in her right mind to be excited about meeting all of us, Pepper."

"Pepper? Yes! You're Pepper Potts! You run Stark Industries!" Darcy said as she pointed to the strawberry-blonde with an excited and shaky finger before turning to her left. "And you, you're Captain America, aren't you?"

"Ma'am," was Steve's response.

"Darcy; the name's Darcy. And you! You're Arrow Dude!"

"Arrow Dude?" Clint's eyebrows shot to the ceiling.

"Well, I don't know your name, but I saw you in the New York battle along with Ninja Chick!" She pointed to Natasha. "If I knew how to do what you do, girl, I wouldn't need my TASER!"

"You have a TASER?" Tony asked, already liking the attitude of the new girl.

"Yup! Took down Thor with it the first time we met him. Probably wouldn't do much to him now, though."

Tony chuckled at the idea of a god being TASERed to unconsciousness. "I'm _so_ bringing that up whenever I see Point Break again."

Darcy nodded, pleased that she had made Tony _freaking_ Stark laugh, and then her eyes returned to where they had been moments ago. "And you, I don't know who you are. Are you an Avenger, too?"

Rhodey looked to his left and right, and then around to his peers for support. "Yes, I am, ma'am."

"Ma'am? What is it with the 'ma'am around here? But, seriously, _you're_ an Avenger? Aren't you a little bit…_small_?"

This time the chuckles were not as discreet as they had been before.

"Small? I beg your pardon?"

Darcy scoffed. "Well, I mean, compared to everyone else, right? Do you even _have_ any powers?"

Rhodey's right eye twitched the slightest. "I'm War Machine."

"War Machine? You mean _you're_ the Iron Patriot?" she finished with a chuckle. "Really? Are you even a real military guy?"

"Darcy, that's enough," Jane muttered to her understudy.

Pepper cleared her throat as she readied herself to use her usual diplomacy to end the escalating argument. "Rhodey is tougher than he looks, Darcy. And, he is a General, in fact. Don't let his gentlemanly charm fool you."

"Charm?" Tony snapped at her. "You think Rhodey is charming?"

"Oh, brother," Bruce rolled his eyes while Natasha and Clint exchanged knowing looks. It seemed Agent Sitwell would also lose the bet on how long it would take Tony to show his jealous side again.

"Tony, this is neither the time nor the place," Pepper said with a fake smile on her face.

"Are you seriously attracted to Rhodey, Pepper? I can't believe this," he crossed his arms.

"Tony, this is not even…"

"No, no! I'm not dropping this. How could you do this to me, Pepper? First you call Phil, well, 'Phil,' and now you say that you think Rhodey is charming? What about me? I'm charming, too! I'm…_I'm_ the definition of charming!"

"Not right now," Pepper said rubbing her forehead when she felt a headache calling her name.

"I can't believe this," Tony repeated. "You know what? I still love you, Pepper, even if you want to spend your life with Rhodey."

"Man, you gotta chill," Rhodey began before Tony snapped at him.

"No!"

"Tony!"

"Darcy, see what you did?"

"Alright, settle down, everyone," the Captain begged.

"Settle down? I'm settled down with Pepper! Don't you see the ring on her finger?" Tony asked as he grabbed her left hand and held it up for everyone to see.

"Uhm, Tony…" the arsonist gulped.

"Pepper?" Tony said, pulling her hand closer to his face. "Where's your ring?"

"I…uhm…it's a…" she stuttered as she remembered the moment her wedding band and engagement ring melted into the depths of the Congo when she held onto Rhodey to save his life. However, any further explanation was halted when Nick Fury slammed his palms on the table, snapping everyone back to the real issue at hand.

"Let's leave the pleasantries for later, shall we? We have a lot to talk about."

"Agreed," Maria said as she casually turned on the projector as if the drama that had just occurred had not really happened. "Let's recap for Dr. Foster the information we have so far. Dr. Banner, did you inform her of the reason for her visit?"

"I was told that you needed my expertise to determine the possibility of the existence and accuracy of weather-controlling devices," Jane said herself before anyone else opened their mouth to stick their foot inside it.

"That's part of it, yes," Hill agreed. "But we hope you can help us in other ways as well. Coulson?"

Jane, who had not taken the time yet to scan the room despite the small argument that had just ended, followed the sound of Phil's clearing throat. Bruce had given her a heads up regarding Coulson's condition but seeing it in person was much more shocking than hearing the once healthy man was now a stump in a wheelchair. The suit he was wearing was folded where the knees and elbows would had been, covering the obvious scars that his cutoff limbs sported. Jane had not been told the details of the circumstances that had left Coulson disabled, but she did not need them to feel regret for once nearly screaming her head off at him back in New Mexico.

"Dr. Foster, you will be reporting to me during your stay, and I will debrief you in extreme detail tomorrow, but for now all you need to know is that we are trying to contain a worldwide infection of a very powerful virus."

"A virus? What kind of virus?" Jane asked and tried her best to ignore Darcy digging into her purse and pulling out a travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer, and biting her tongue to keep herself from explaining to Darcy why the antibacterial would not stop a virus.

"A genetically engineered virus that should have never been created. It is not contagious by regular human interaction, but it can prove fatal to _most _individuals," he eyed Pepper.

"Is there a cure? What does this virus do?" Darcy asked, vigorously rubbing her hands together to dry the disinfecting lotion she had just poured in her palms.

"Stark?" Coulson gave the floor to the billionaire.

"Jane, can I call you Jane? Yeah?" Jane nodded. "Alright, over a decade ago I was approached by a man named Aldrich Killian…"

"The former CEO of AIM; I've heard of him," Jane offered, remembering the headlines regarding the kidnapping of the President of the United States, the betrayal of the Vice President, and the involvement of Killian in the plot to kill the President by using an actor posing as a fake terrorist with a weird name.

"Well, Killian is a bright man,"

"Was," Jane corrected. "He died a couple of years ago, right?"

Tony shook his head. "He's currently residing in one of our finest cells here at base."

"What? Why?"

"Long story short, he created the virus Coulson's talking about. The virus is compatible with only about 2.5% of the population; the rest, well…"

"Compatible? But, I don't understand. I'm not an immunologist or virologist. What can I do?"

"Science is science, Jane," Bruce said knowing well how his knowledge of science had helped him help his friends a few weeks ago.

"We understand that you have been studying anomalous weather patterns and trying to replicate them in order to connect to other worlds," Fury said. "We would like you to share that knowledge with us and review some unusual Doppler radar images we have."

"That's it? I could have done that from my station in England."

"That's just the beginning of the help we need from you and this information is very sensitive. We trust you to understand why you are required to do this research here."

"Because of this virus? How is this virus even related to what you want me to do?"

"It's…a long story Coulson will have the pleasure of relaying to you, tomorrow." Fury said with finality. "Now we need to focus on getting all on the same page. What you're about to hear is sensitive and classified, and it may not make much sense until tomorrow, but I rather have you here to listen than try to explain it all over again later on."

Jane stared at everyone in the room as she wondered what she had gotten herself into. The look of shock on Selvig's face told her even he was not aware of the dire situation they were all in. Darcy gave her a look of determination, understanding they would not be returning to England any time soon but that she would stick around for whatever Jane needed her to do. A last look toward Selvig was the final push she needed to take the plunge.

"Alright; we'll help."

Darcy nodded along with Jane to show her support, but it was then she realized for the first time what she could not believe she had not seen before. "Dude, is that your suit just_ sitting_ there?"

The laughter that echoed in the room was more than needed for all of them, knowing the danger they were all going to be in very soon.

xxxXXXxxx

The room was dark save for the dimly lit candles in the corners. The incense slowly burned its scent of sandalwood; warm, sweet, and woody. The cushions under the two men in the room were plush, filled with goose feathers, making them as comfortable as they could be. The environment was perfect for deep meditation until the silence was once again broken by Tony's loud sigh. "This is not working. I can't do this _merde_."

Bruce, who was sitting next to him in the middle of the room in the same lotus position as he, narrowed his eyes at him. "Merde?"

Tony ignored Bruce's question with a wave of his hand. "Honestly, why are we doing this again? We have better things to do, like, test that _putain de_ cure, train, help Jane with the Doppler radar images, buy Pepper a new wedding ring…"

"_Putain de_ cure? _Merde_?" Bruce asked, not truly understanding why Tony was suddenly cursing in French.

"I don't want the kids to pick up curse words now that they're starting to talk –well, at least Gigi is." He hung his head. "Pepper made me promise I wouldn't cuss in front of them."

"So," Bruce rubbed his chin with his fingers. "Pepper made you promise not to cuss, but in your head you promised not to cuss…_in English_."

"Something like that."

"Well, you do realize the kids aren't here right now, and that they'll just pick up curse words in French?"

"Yes, I'm a terrible father, Banner." He spat with more venom than he had intended. "You don't have to remind me; I already know and _ça me fait chier_."

"That's not what I meant, Tony. A terrible father wouldn't have sent his kids away to protect them."

"No, but a good father wouldn't had let their mother fall into a burning tanker, or left them alone for months in a lonely hospital newborn ward, or gotten them all three of them in this _putain de enfer_ I dare to call life."

Bruce gave up on attempting meditating for now, knowing that Tony –just as Pepper had done once – needed to get his feelings off his chest if he was going to be able to go successfully through this session and the next. Banner could see his friend's conflicting thoughts and emotions written all over his hard face, and he could only imagine how complex his bright mind could make the simplest problem appear to the billionaire.

"So, you're getting Pepper another ring or rings?" He began with the simplest concern.

Tony nodded. "It's not gonna be the same because it won't be the first one I got for her, but at least I know where I can get the same model."

"Are you mad at her for not telling you she melted it?"

"I was, for a moment," he shrugged, his face downcast. "But I have no reason to be. If the ring was the cost of keeping her and Rhodey safe from an exploding grenade then so be it. I just wish she would've told me sooner. I felt like an idiot finding out the way I did."

"I know you know Pepper had too many things on her mind for a while there to think about replacing the rings."

"Yeah…yeah, I know. It's not really the rings, or the principle of the matter, it's just…It just reminded me why they aren't there anymore. For a few weeks I forgot about all of this crap; the Extremis, Killian, my kids being in danger…The rings gone the way they did; they reminded me that those problems are all still there."

"Well, this is why we're here, right? To help you relax so we can start solving those problems. If the hypnosis is going to work, Tony, you need to learn to relax, if only for the session."

One of the strategies they had come up with as a team during yesterday's meeting had been suggested by Bruce himself. During his travels around the world, he had learned how to hypnotize people as a way to assist them with reducing the sensation of pain when he treated their illnesses. Not truly being a real medical doctor, he had learned alternative ways to helping those he nursed back to health or the ones that were beyond help but would have suffered a much more painful death if it had not been for his techniques.

It was Bruce's belief that if both Tony and Pepper were hypnotized, they would be able to recall their fight with the Mandarin in more detail and perhaps even remember the _Mc-something_ name that eluded Tony. Pepper had been meditating for a long time so her session would be no problem. However, asking Tony to relax and submit to someone telling him what to do while not in control was a completely different story. Tony had initially rejected the idea, not wanting he and Pepper to relive the torture that was the battle against the Mandarin, but in the end Pepper convinced him that if it would help their cause, the pain would be worthwhile.

"Are you ready?" Bruce asked after Tony had been quiet with his thoughts for a long time, but Tony responded by shaking his head.

"Why do you do this? Meditate? It can't just be because of the Other Guy."

Bruce sighed loudly; it seemed Tony was not done prodding to his satisfaction yet. Pepper had asked him the same question as well, but with Tony he knew a simple answer would not suffice. "It's not," the scientist said. "It started for him, but now it's for other things."

"You mean your visions? I saw them, and I know you know I did. I know the old man was your dad, but who were those kids?"

"Kids that didn't make it, from Calcutta."

"Oh!" Tony uttered, thinking he should have figured that out himself by the way they looked. "Do you always see them, all the time?"

Banner shook his head. He did not feel completely ready to talk about his own demons but if this was what Tony needed to focus on meditation he would do so. Besides, there was no point in denying it anymore; Tony had seen and interacted with his ghosts.

"Usually I only see them when I'm in Hulk mode."

"But, you saw me and the kids when you weren't in Hulk mode. Can you see them now?"

"No. I haven't since you woke up. I don't think I will again until the Other Guy comes out."

"How about your dad? I mean, I couldn't hear him most of the time but he was a loud mouth when I could hear him. I wouldn't be able to stand his yapping in my head all the time."

Bruce turned to face Tony who had a look of honest concern on his face. There had been something that had been bothering Bruce about his astral visions happening while in his normal human form, and it seemed this moment was as good as any other to tackle those doubts. Perhaps Tony would have some insight regarding the fluke since he had been involved in it to some extent. "Do you remember when Pepper had that seizure?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you see what caused it?"

"Stress?" Tony shrugged, not certain to where the conversation was leading.

"You didn't see my father there?"

"Your father? No. I saw him standing outside when I came in with the kids but never inside the room while it happened. Why?"

"You see," Bruce began. "Until then, I had never been able to see or hear these visions when I'm in this form," he pointed to himself with an open hand. "Hulk can hear them and see them with no problem, but I couldn't."

"But, you saw me, right?"

"That's the thing. I saw you, and the kids, and my father…but I could also HEAR my father. Just him, though. Not you or them, just him."

"Well, maybe it's just because you've been seeing him longer than any of the others, right?"

"That's what I thought, too…until…" he sighed.

"Until, until…what? Bruce, are you alright? What aren't you telling me?"

Bruce rubbed his face with his hands as he gathered the courage to tell Tony something that would certainly upset him. "Remember the video with Killian talking to himself?"

"Yeah?" Tony responded after a moment of hesitation.

"He wasn't talking to himself," Bruce swallowed hard. "I saw him, who it was…or who it _looked_ like it was. And I heard him…I heard what he said to Killian."

"And?" Tony asked with a hint of barely controlled anger in his tone.

"Pepper is in more danger than we thought."

Tony swallowed the lump of fear in his throat before scrambling to his feet and rushing to the door.

"Tony? Where are you going?"

"The containment unit; Pepper is due to meet with Killian today."

Bruce's eyes widened when he realized the implications of Pepper meeting with the man that was in charge of delivering the arsonist to the Mandarin.

"_Fils de pute_," Banner mumbled before getting up from the floor and running after Tony.

* * *

**A/N:** I read everyone's reviews; they are all very special to me. I even have a folder in my e-mail where I keep them and read them when I need some inspiration to write more. This time, the review that made my day came from a new Faithful Reader: LaNaturalBreezeOf-Books. Thank you for making me feel so special :) I recommend you also read "Precious" and "The Magnificient Octopus" by LouBlue, who was MY inspiration to begin writing Iron Man fics. I ALMOST felt as awesome as LouBlue with your review, but I have a long way to get there (though your review was still very motivational to me). My two projects I was working on are over now, and while I wait for another one I'm going to write as much as I can. I still owe readers of "30 Days" a worthy sequel, but it cannot come without Man in a Can being completed as well. Last but not least, I would like to send a shotout to fantasia-49 for being kind enough to share some French curse words with me ^_^ Thank you very much! Now, let's get back to the story, which is going to be VERY twisted VERY soon.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Pepper dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top, and had opted to walk barefoot to the containment unit immediately after training practice was over. She had been training real hard the last couple of days, and the more intense she trained, the more constricting her clothes felt. She had been trying to avoid doing so, but it seemed she would have to request her uniform to be altered to resemble more of a leotard than shorts if she wanted to achieve the levels of flexibility she knew she was capable of.

_Tony's gonna have a fit_, she thought remembering how difficult it had been for her husband to accept the already revealing nature of her Avenger uniform. If he found out that she was considering copying the clothing style she had only seen used by women in fighting videogames…

_Yup, he's gonna freak out._

She had no option, however. She knew how powerful the Mandarin was and it was her intention to not hold back at all the next time they encountered the vile man; the man that almost killed her husband and would no doubt try to kill her friends and children as well.

_Stop thinking about it, Potts. You have a meeting to tend to._

Her face showed none of her internal conflict when she reached the entrance of Killian's cell where Jane, Darcy and Fury awaited her. As before, Tony had been asked not to show up to this meeting since he always seemed to lose the very little control he had over himself. No one could really blame him, though. What man in his right mind would not worry sick about his wife being locked up in a room with a super-powered maniac?

Fury nodded to Pepper to acknowledge her presence before returning his attention to the rest of his present team. "Pepper is going to walk in there and interrogate our guest. Dr. Foster, I expect you to monitor any unusual readings around them, even if they can be attributed to the Extremis, and report them back to Coulson. Pepper, are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Yes, I am. I've done this before. I'm ready. Just keep Tony away from here. He's not gonna like what he sees."

"I bet," Fury agreed. "Steve, James, Clint and Natasha are upstairs in the monitoring room. Miss Lewis, Dr. Foster and I will be joining them. If he tries anything…"

Pepper gave him a smile. "I know."

Since the release of the video of Killian talking to himself, the security in the cell had been heightened. Guards were now required to be outside of the entrance at all times, and the locking mechanism of the doors had been changed so that not only did it lock electronically, but four bars of hard steel on either side of the doors dug inside the walls to keep everything in place.

While at the time of the recording the camera had not been angled to show the cell's entrance, it was obvious by the video that no one had actually walked inside the cell. It was also obvious that Killian had not been talking to someone standing just outside the cell; the tilt of his head and direction of his stare made it clear that he had believed himself to be speaking to someone standing only a few feet away. However, they were not willing to take any other risks with Killian; he was their only source of information regarding the Mandarin, so he needed to stay in place.

The first set of doors opened and the familiar hiss brought Pepper back memories of the last time she had been here. It seemed as it had been years ago but it truly had only been less than two months since he had taught her how to control the aim of the heat. During said lesson she had thought he had only been trying to show off his skills, but she now wondered if he had known what was coming to them in the Congo mission. The temperature control technique had saved them many times that day.

She stood inside the anteroom as the door behind her closed and the one at the front opened. To her surprise, the second door was no longer the immediate door to his cell, but it lead to another anteroom. She took another step to stand inside the second and third doors as the second closed behind her. An instant later, the third door opened and revealed Killian giving his back to her, standing by the opposite side of the cell, staring at who-knew what on the wall.

"I heard Tony almost died. Sadly, it was only an almost," the man jested. Pepper narrowed her eyes at him as she walked closer to the middle of the room and grabbed his only chair and sat in it. She crossed her arms and legs and waited for Killian to turn around to face her. When he did, however, Pepper noticed that his eyes were no longer their natural color, but were glowing orange in Extremis anger, and such anger was directed at her.

xxxXXXxxx

"Are you sure it's safe for Mrs. Stark to be in there with him?" Jane Foster asked as she alternated between gazing at her monitors and looking down at the stare-contest happening below them. "I thought you said this man is dangerous. I mean, I know he has the virus in him but…"

"Did Coulson tell you Pepper has it, too?" Fury asked.

"He said she has a different version –stronger than the original, but she seems so…"

"Normal," Darcy finished for her mentor. "She doesn't seem like she can kill a fly."

"She's killed a handful of men so far, and she has broken Killian's jaw twice. She'll be alright." Rhodey assured the two concerned women.

"You know," Darcy began, "Mrs. Stark was right: You _are_ charming –among other things," she finished as she blatantly stared at Rhodey's butt. Rhodey decided he would have a better view of the discussion from the farthest point away from Darcy's predatory eyes and quickly made his way to it.

_Not bad_, Darcy thought as she continued helping Jane with the monitoring.

xxxXXXxxx

"I know about the Mandarin, Killian. I know you owe him your life, as insignificant as it is."

Aldrich flared his nostrils as he approached his bed and sat on the edge of it, only a few feet away from where Pepper sat. He rested his arms on his knees and hunched his back. Pepper noticed that his eyes still glowed orange and she wondered if he was doing it deliberately or if he was not even aware that his powers were very active at the moment.

"I don't owe anyone anything."

Pepper scoffed. "Is that the game you want to play? You can't lie to me, Aldrich. He told me; he told me everything."

"No one knows everything, my dear Pepper. Not even that piece of shit you call a husband."

xxxXXXxxx

"Why is he attacking Tony all of a sudden?" Steve asked to no one in particular. "He's never done that before."

"He's desperate," Clint answered. "He knows we have him in a corner."

"Or, maybe something's wrong with him," Jane suggested as she tapped her electronic tablet with her fingers. "See?"

Everyone present walked closer to where Jane stood and stared down at the images on the tablet. "What are we looking at?" Natasha asked.

"These are two charts comparing Killian's Extremis readings that Coulson gave me to what I'm picking up right now. I was able to work out an algorithm with Bruce that spits out readings in a much more detailed way; it turns out the charts of a 1.0 Extremis carrier are different than the reading of a 2.0."

"How so?"

"We haven't figured it out yet, but we think it's due to the code of the viruses being different. Without a newly infected host we can't really extrapolate the life cycle of the 2.0, but we have been able to find subtle emanations from hosts, which vary across types of Extremis."

"OK, ma'am, I didn't understand a word you just said. What does this mean now? Is Pepper in danger?" Steve asked, ready to pull his hair out of his head with all the science talk.

"Well, right now, Killian's readings are as powerful as a 2.0, but he doesn't carry that type of virus himself. I don't understand how he's doing this."

"Should we tell Pepper?" Rhodey asked.

"No," Fury responded. "It'll just distract her. If he's too much for her, we'll use the knock out gas we used in Congo. It will slow them down enough to get Pepper out of there. For now, let's give her a chance to do her job. I trust that she would do fine."

xxxXXXxxx

"We can make this easy or we can make it hard, Killian. Just tell me what you think I should know to help the Mandarin spare your life."

"Spare my life? Do you really think you have the power to do that? You don't know who you're dealing with."

"No one is invincible. I fought him; he_ can_ be defeated, if you tell me how."

"Can he? By you? He didn't kill you because he needs you, but as soon as he doesn't…"

"Then he will do to me what he did to you? Don't mistake my actions for kindness. I want you dead as much as he does, but for completely different reasons."

Killian smirked as he stood up from the bed and closed the distance between he and Pepper. He bent down and cupped Pepper's face with his left hand, giving her a wide smile. "I knew you had it in you; the desire to kill. I told you before, didn't I? I told you it would be up to you to decide who lived and who died. So, tell me Pepper, do I get to live, or do I get to die?"

Pepper stood up from the chair, forcing Aldrich to let go of her face.

"That depends on you. Are you going to tell me how to stop him or not?"

"I thought you knew everything, Potts."

xxxXXXxxx

The security guards at the entrance of the containment wing had been ordered to keep Tony Stark off the premises. There had been no such orders for Bruce Banner, but when he told them the Other Guy was getting pissy and wanted to come out and play, they had no choice but to let the two men pass. Once inside, Tony picked up his pace again as he tried to reach the monitoring station as quickly as possible.

Bruce was hot on his trail, also concerned about what Killian could do or tell Pepper. By now he was not sure if Killian was the real threat, and if the Mandarin had been behind the illusion of Agent Galaga he had seen on the recording, who knew what else the Mandarin could do from afar. His only regret was not figuring it out until now.

"Tony, calm down!" Bruce pleaded again to his friend, knowing Fury would not listen to Stark if he did not show some composure. As every other time since they had run out from the meditation room, Tony had not listened to Banner's appeals and had only quickened his pace. Bruce picked up the pace as well, and with strength he did not know he had, he grabbed Tony by his right wrist and left shoulder and pushed him against the wall of the narrow hall that led to the control room of the containment unit.

Tony hit the wall face first, and had he not been blinded by rage he would have immediately responded with an attack of his own. When he realized it was Bruce who was constricting him, the idea of slamming him onto the opposite wall dissipated. He was mad at him and at the situation, but not mad enough to physically hurt his friend.

"Let go of me," Tony said between clenched teeth. "I've got to get her out of there, she's in danger!"

"And we will, Tony, but you have to calm the fuck down. We don't know how it's going in there, and if Pepper is doing a good job at getting the information we need and we bust in there like this we may ruin whatever progress she's made so far."

"I don't care! The Mandarin wants her! What if he's there? What if he takes her? How could you keep this from me? My Pepper is in danger and you didn't tell me?"

"Stop struggling or the Other Guy is gonna kick your ass!"

"I don't give a FUCK! PEPPER! PEEEPPPEERR!" he began yelling from where he stood as he tried to pry himself from Bruce's surprisingly strong grip. "PEPPPERRR!"

In a quick movement, Bruce flipped Tony around and slammed him against the wall once more, grabbing onto the lapels of his shirt to keep him in place. Tony's eyes were still glued to the door that led to the control room, giving him a new understanding of the 'so close, yet so far,'" saying. "Bruce, let me go."

"Tony for fucks sake, THINK! THINK with your head and not your heart! If something had happened to Pepper we would've known by now. Do you want to put her in _real_ danger? Do you?"

Tony shook his head. "No, of course I don't, but…Bruce, you don't understand…she's…everything…"

"I understand more than you think," Bruce spat. "Remember what happened last time you rushed into things? I don't know about you but I don't think I'd be able to save your sorry ass once more. It was a close call, Tony. Do you want Pepper to suffer again for your rashness?"

The thought of Pepper in pain halted Tony's efforts. The moment his head hung Bruce knew he had finally gotten to him. Tony was still shaking and took deep breaths to calm down. It was difficult for him to keep his composure when Pepper was in danger, but Bruce had a point that they did not even know if she truly was in peril at the moment. For all they knew, Pepper and Killian could be having tea and muffins and talking about the meaning of life.

"You should've told me sooner."

"Yes, I should have," Banner conceded, letting go of Stark. "But I didn't even know what I had seen or heard myself. This is why I suggested the hypnosis session. I think whatever Killian and the guy who visited him said will make more sense once we learn what happened during that fight. I didn't want to worry you for nothing. Pepper is my friend, too, you know. I wouldn't put her in danger if I could help it."

Tony looked up to face Bruce, and while his face showed no anger, his voice betrayed his real feelings. "Banner, I expect a friend of hers to let her know if she's in danger. And I expect you to tell me if something's wrong with her. Don't keep this stuff from me again. I know you meant well, but last time I kept a secret from her I almost lost her."

"And last time you kept a secret from us you almost killed yourself," Banner retorted referring to the Extremis dose Tony had injected himself with.

"That will never happen again."

"Alright," Bruce said. "Let's go watch Pepper kick Killian's ass."

xxxXXXxxx

"And I thought you were the only source of knowledge of the Extremis. Clearly, I was mistaken. You're as useless to me as you are to the Mandarin."

"What is it that you're trying to get out of me? A partnership?"

Pepper scoffed loudly and crossed her arms. "A partnership? I wanted nothing to do with you as business partners even before I knew how crazy you really are. Don't kid yourself, Aldrich. You need me more than you think."

"So, a deal then? What do you offer me? You have nothing I may want."

"Your life? Don't you want to keep your life?"

Killian laughed aloud. "You think _you_ can guarantee me that? You can't save me from the Mandarin; no one can. He's gonna come for you because that's what he wants. Nothing you do or say is going to change that. The Mandarin has marked you, and he _will_ have you."

"As opposed to you, Killian, I'm not alone in this. My team won't let him take me."

"That is where you're wrong. He IS going to take you, when you least suspect it. And he will use you for what he needs."

"Which is?"

"Wouldn't you want to know?"

"I can beat it out of you, Killian. Don't make me do it."

"Can you? Would you? You can't make me talk, Potts. Not now. Your threats are nothing compared to what he can do to me…to us."

"I can take him."

"No, you can't," Killian assured her. "No one can."

xxxXXXxxx

"Director, Mrs. Stark's readings are spiking. I think we should remove her from there." Jane suggested. "Her current readings are much higher than what the records show. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's about to blow up."

All eyes in the room fixated on Fury but the Director ignored them all. "No. We proceed as planned. Pepper has no need to self-regulate. She's just mad. She'll…"

The unexpected knock on the door made everyone jump out of their skin. Their eyes traveled to the now opening entrance of the control room to see a very flustered-looking Tony Stark and Bruce Banner walk in.

"I thought you two were meditating."

"Change of plans," Tony said as he neared the edge of the room to look down at Pepper and Killian. "We have new information. We don't need to talk to him. We need to sedate him, now."

"What? What do you mean?" Fury asked, not at all happy that his guards had let Tony walk inside the containment wing despite his orders.

"Tony's right, but we have no time to explain. We need to get Pepper out of there and knock out Killian. He might be the reason why the Mandarin knows what we're doing. I think he might be connected to him somehow, just as he was to his soldiers." Bruce said as slowly as he could to make his point understood the first time. They did not know if their theory was correct, but they surely did not want to waste any time in finding out the hard way.

"Pepper, Honey, can you hear me?" Tony whispered into the microphone that was linked to the wireless earpiece she wore when she visited Killian. "Get out of there now. It's not safe. Please, come out, now."

He saw the quick movement Pepper's eyes made to stare at the glass wall of the control room before returning her eyes to Killian once more. Tony noticed she did not make any move to leave the place, so the billionaire tried once more.

"Pep, I know you can hear me. This is important. I don't care if you think he's gonna tell you what we need; he won't. Please, _please_ come out of there before I suit up and get you out of there myself. You are in danger there. Do you hear me, Potts?"

Everyone in the room noticed the sign that Pepper was listening to Tony when her eyes glanced toward the control room once more if only for a second before she returned her attention to Killian. Tony slammed his hand on the control unit in desperation and was about to try one more time when Bruce's exhale made him stop.

"Tony, he's there. He's there with them now."

"Who?" Rhodey asked as he looked down and saw no one else but Pepper and Killian. "Who's there?"

"What's going on in here?" Fury demanded but received no response from either man. He then turned to Jane who just shrugged at him, making the Director curse aloud.

Tony's self-control was slipping away once more. He grabbed the microphone again, closed his eyes and cleared his throat before speaking into it again.

xxxXXXxxx

_"Pepper, please, listen to me. If there's ever a time you're ever going to listen to me, it's now. Who you think you're seeing is not who it is. I can't explain it right now, but believe me, it's not what it seems. You're in danger, Pepper. I know you're stronger than him, but he's not the only one there; you two are not alone. Please, get out, now."_

Pepper's heart was beating like crazy and part of her wanted to listen to Tony's pleas and walk out of the room. However, she could sense Killian was about to break and tell her what they needed to know. She was torn between the knowledge of what had happened last time she had not taken Tony seriously, and the opportunity to learn what they needed from Aldrich. Against her better judgment, Pepper pretended to tuck her hair behind her ear but in reality she fried the circuits of the ear piece, effectively cutting communication with the control room.

"Then what do you have to lose if neither of us can take him, if no one can take him?" She continued.

"I have nothing to lose, but you do. He's gonna come for you, Pepper, and you won't even know what hit you."

"I'll be ready."

"Will you? You cannot offer to help me if you can't even help yourself. Will you be ready to see him kill everyone you love? He will do it, too. He's going to use you and when his use of you has ended, he's gonna kill Tony and he's gonna make you watch. And he won't be done then. No. He's going take everything and everyone from you, just like you and Tony have from so many people in your life. He's going to find your kids; those little brats are on his list, too. He will hunt them down, and when he finds them he's going to kill those little bastards of yours, one by one, cut off their heads and gut them while you watch knowing there is nothing you can do."

Killian's face ended inches away from a speechless and wide-eyed Potts, trying to further intimidate the woman by using his height over hers. His tactic worked for an instant and he thought she had been broken when her eyes closed, but soon realized his mistake when her eyes snapped open to show a red glow accompanied by a small smile.

Aldrich had the decency to gulp.

xxxXXXxxx

"FUCK!" Tony kicked the base of the control unit. "She fried the earpiece! She fucking cut communication with…" Tony's rant stopped when he heard Killian speaking again. Everyone froze in the room as they heard the lengthy threat Killian had just made to Pepper. Tony's fists went white with anger, his jaw clenched so hard he thought he was going to shatter his teeth.

"Let's get her out of there," Fury said in a low voice, giving the OK to Jane to release the knock out gas in the room. All eyes were glued to the scene below them. The moment Pepper opened her eyes the machine that Jane had been using to monitor their Extremis readings exploded, its damage extending to the rest of the console and thus ending the possibility of releasing the knock out gas Fury had just ordered. The sound grabbed the attention of everyone in the room until Pepper turned around on her heels and headed to the door.

"What's the melting point of steel?" Darcy asked, still horrified at what Killian had said.

"2500ºF, why?" Bruce answered.

"Because I think you're gonna need a big ass blowtorch to open that door," Darcy replied when she saw Pepper stand before the doors and melt the door out of shape and heat it up for it to be hot enough to slow down anyone who tried to come into the room and stop her from what she was about to do.

* * *

**A/N:** What is this? Another chapter marathon? Mayybeee…if everyone agrees :)


	26. Chapter 25

**A/N: Graphic content alert! This chapter contains some very gory scenes. You have been warned. **

* * *

**Chapter 25  
**

"Hill, we have a 504 in the containment unit. Shut down the entire wing, get everyone out of here!" Fury ordered into his headset as everyone ran out of the control room. "Do you copy?"

"Yes, sir," came her response in everyone's earpiece. "Jarvis is heading that way for support. Do you need me there, sir?"

"No, Hill. Stay where you are; be ready to evacuate the base if need be."

"Copy."

At the front of the group was Tony followed closely by Bruce. Natasha and Clint walked behind the scientists while Rhodey and Steve paced forward right behind the assassins. The alarm in the containment unit was now going off, filling the halls with the red color of the sirens. Darcy and Jane stuck close to Fury, exchanging with each other worried looks.

A soon as the group reached the exit of the hall, the chaos truly hit home. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents of all ranks and levels scurried away from the wing, taking with them only the essentials and leaving computers on and projects incomplete. The walk to Killian's containment cell felt as if in slow motion and completely surreal.

"Romanoff!" Fury called from afar.

"Sir?"

"Take Dr. Foster and Miss Lewis to the backup control room in this wing so they can continue the recording of this incident for later analysis. We need all the data we can get our hands on. Stay with them in case this gets out of control, and keep your line open."

Natasha gave a quick glance toward Barton, the slight nod of her head barely perceivable to anyone else but the archer. Her eyes then returned to the two scared-looking women and pushed them forward in the direction of the control room. "This way; stay close and be ready to leave in an instant if it comes to it."

"Is Pepper going to be OK?" Darcy asked as she struggled to look over Natasha's shoulder and to the glass cell behind them. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She will be. The rest of us…I don't know."

Darcy scoffed. "That's reassuring."

"Come on. We're wasting time," Natasha said as she picked up their pace when they neared the entrance to backup control room.

xxxXXXxxx

Fury reached the other five Avengers who were standing by the entrance of the cell, staring helplessly as Pepper continued heating up the metal doors to make the metal too hot to touch, but not hot enough to melt and allow the team to force their way inside the cell. Fury knew the glass used to create the cage could withstand the impact of _one_ well-placed Hulk punch, but he doubted it would sustain a well-placed superheated fire punch from Pepper.

"Listen up," Nick said to get everyone's attention. Steve, Rhodey, Clint and Bruce immediately turned to face the Director, but Tony had to be dragged away from the premises of the cell. "Alright, I don't think Pepper's going to be nice to this guy today, and I doubt there is anything we can say to her to calm her down. We can't activate the knock out gas from the backup control room, so we will need to put some in there manually."

"The vents?" Clint asked, already staring at the small vents in the top corners of the cell and planning how to reach their height. The containment wing was not the largest in the entire structure, but it was the only one with the most rooms. The wing had two levels. The first level was devoted to offices, labs, storage rooms, the backup control room and other empty closets. All of these rooms surrounded the containment cell where Killian was being held, right at the center of the first floor. The second level hosted the main control room that constantly monitored Killian's actions, and held some conference rooms as well. The second floor was open to the first, allowing any bystander on it to look down and stare at the glass-walled cell. While the design seemed flawed at this very moment, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prisoners usually did not stay for long so the setup had worked so far; Killian was the first exception to this design assumption.

"Yes. Barton, go to the weapons storage room and get enough canisters to knock out an army, now." Fury ordered the archer who wasted no time in running toward his destination to complete his task.

"Rhodes; I need you to suit up and stand by the exit of the wing in case we can't keep everyone here. If you see anyone but us come out, shoot'em."

"On it!" Rhodey said already halfway out the containment wing.

"Steve, Bruce, stay here and be ready to suit up – _both_ of you, in case we need to."

"Are you sure the Other Guy…"

"Have you seen Pepper this mad before?"

"Fine," Bruce reluctantly conceded.

"Tony…Tony? Where the fuck?" Fury's tone made Steve and Banner turn around and watch as Tony stood by the closest glass wall, pounding on it to try and get Pepper's attention. Pepper did not seem to notice him or was choosing to ignore him as she put her arms down when she was satisfied the door was going to be trouble for anyone who tried to come inside.

"Dammit! Banner, stay with him on this side of the cell. Rogers and I will take the other side."

Bruce nodded and the three of them quickly split to their respective posts. Steve was not one to stay put and watch without action, but he knew that without his shield there was only so much he could do against two powerful Extremis carriers. He hated to admit it, but for now all he could do was sit tight and hope for the best.

Banner reached Tony's side but his eyes were not on Pepper. The figure standing in the corner –the same he had seen in the video recording – had a wide smile on his face, almost as if he had been expecting for this fight to take place. "Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"He's still here. He…he's laughing!"

"The fuck?" Tony asked, his eyes trying so hard to see what only Bruce could see. "Where is he? Is he near her?"

"No, he's just…standing there. Is the recorder on?"

"I think so, yes. Dammit! Why isn't she listening to me? Pepper!" He pounded on the glass again. "Virginia Potts! Listen to me!"

Not even the mention of her first name shocked the arsonist. Her target in front of her was her only concern.

xxxXXXxxx

"You finally show your true colors, Virginia. I've been waiting for this moment since I made you who you are."

Pepper remained silent, slowly advancing toward the chair she had been sitting in. In a swift movement, she used the top of her foot to lift the chair off the floor high enough to allow her to kick it in midair and send it at neck-breaking speed toward Killian. He in response used his left arm to stop the projectile a few feet before it hit him, tearing the object into pieces.

By the time his eyes returned to Pepper, she was already in his face, and her hands flew to his shoulders. Her fingers dug into the flesh until she was able to use the clavicles as handles.

"For Steve." She lifted Aldrich from the floor by the grip she had on his shoulders' bones before slamming him onto the left wall, then the right wall, twirling in place a handful of times and releasing him to hit the back wall with enough energy to crack the glass. As programmed, the impact on the wall caused the cell's pistons to activate and the cell's width was reduced by two feet –just as Hulk's cell was automated be released to plummet from a great height, Killian's cell was programmed to compact and crush the occupant with prolonged assault on the inner walls. Only the outside spectators noticed the change in size of the room.

"Are you kidding me?" Tony fumed. "That's not gonna work."

Bruce's eyes flew from the vision to the corners of the room where the vents were located. As he feared, the vents did not move with the glass walls, meaning that if Barton did not hurry up, the chances of getting the knock out gas in the cell was going to become null.

Inside the containment unit, Killian slid down the glass wall but immediately stood up only to be hit by his own bed. Pepper had pushed the bed forward with enough force and speed that it flattened Killian's chest and again robbed them of two more feet of space.

"For Clint," she spat.

Aldrich spat out blood onto the mattress before Pepper pulled it away and threw it behind her, further blocking the entrance to the room and causing two more feet to be taken away from the width of the room. The pressure of the closing walls onto the wooden bed was too much, leaving it no option but to break it in half.

The 2.0 host did not allow a second of relief to grace the Extremis creator, and she grabbed him by his ankles. She pulled him off the bloodied glass wall and noted the virus was quick at work in rebuilding the broken bones and burst organs in a haste, but she did not care. She was faster. She was stronger. She was out to kill him.

She sat on top of Killian's still flattened upper body and stared down at him. Her hands cupped the sides of his face and she smiled at him as she caressed his skin. Her thumbs slowly slid up from his chin to his eyes, forcing the eyelids to close. Her smile disappeared and the frown of anger returned to her face as she dug her burning hot thumbs into his eye sockets.

"For Natalie," she said to him, and this time Killian had to scream.

xxxXXXxxx

"Oh, my God," Steve mumbled as he witnessed the vicious way Pepper was treating Killian. The man had definitely asked to be beat up by threatening Pepper and her family, but the Captain never imagined Pepper would respond with such aggression. Tony had been calling her name for a while now, but even the voice of her husband had not been sufficient to pull her out of the anger streak she was in. "She's really gonna kill him this time."

Fury exhaled deeply. As urgent as it was to stop the uncontrolled rage that clearly plagued Pepper, he was not going to risk sending anyone inside. The worst that could happen at this point was that Pepper killed Killian, and if that were to happen, his only hope was that she did not continue her fury release on them.

Barton finally returned with the canisters of the knockout gas but it was too late. The vents were too far away from the room now, and since only the left and right walls moved as a response to major impacts, the containers would have to be inside the room to have any effect on either Extremis carrier.

Clint's eyes flew to Pepper and then to Tony before they landed on his Director. Fury shook his head at him and Barton knew he had taken too long. There was no point in doing anything else at the moment. All any of them could do was wait and hope that she stopped.

xxxXXXxxx

Killian flailed his arms toward Pepper, trying to stop her attack on his now gone eyeballs. If she kept going at this rate, she would soon reach his brain and a direct impact such as this one would not give him a chance to piece himself back together. His attempts were in vain, but just when he thought he was down for the count – and for some unknown reason – Pepper stopped her punishment on him and stood up. She took a few steps back and tilted her head as if she was admiring a piece of artwork, a smile plastered on her face.

Aldrich was breathing hard, experiencing major pain for the first time since he had injected himself with the Extremis virus. He could only imagine what the fight between her and the Mandarin had been like, and he hoped he did not have to be their practice dummy for the next one. Just as his muscles began to relax and he thought Pepper was done with him, he felt her grabbing his feet by the ankles. She gracefully propelled herself in the air as she still held onto him and twirled in a somersault that ended with Pepper's feet landing on his stomach and Killian's legs bent forward until they popped.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" The former CEO of AIM screamed, the scene making everyone present cringe. Potts unceremoniously released her hold on his legs and they hit the floor with a thud before she spoke again.

"For Rhodey."

Killian's eyes regrew just in time to see her glowing hands move swiftly over his arms and cut them at the elbows. She bent down to whisper in his ear. "For Bruce."

She then grabbed him by his shirt and picked him up from the floor, and on his way down she flipped him so that her knee hit his back and broke it on impact. "For Phil."

"S-s-stop!" Killian pleaded, truly afraid for his life for the first time, but Pepper did not stop. She dropped him on the floor once more and picked him up by his legs. She again twirled a few times and threw him over to where the broken bed blocked the exit. "For my kids!"

Killian grunted when a post of his bed dug into his back and stuck out to his front. He tried to push himself off it to allow his cells to regrow but he was exhausted. Pepper walked slowly toward him, her right hand digging into her right pants pocket. When her hand came out of it she held a syringe in it. She took the needle to her mouth and removed the cap with her teeth, spitting it out somewhere on the floor. Aldrich again tried to move away but she was faster than him and pressed him against the broken pile of furniture once more. Her left hand pressed on his chest, heating it up enough to keep him in place. Her right hand with the syringe closed in on his neck and she stabbed him with it, pushing the liquid into his system without haste.

She finally pulled off the syringe and threw it behind her. She then bent her face toward him with an angry smirk on her features.

"For Tony," she whispered to him before her hands ignited as she pushed them onto his chest. The fire spread throughout his body, forcing Killian to scream in unbearable pain. Pepper's eyes were redder than before until a shock went down her back and her attack on Killian stopped. The sensation of not being able to breathe was familiar, and the last thing she heard was Tony screaming for her to stop.

xxxXXXxxx

Bruce's eyes shifted from Pepper to the vision of Agent Galaga standing right behind her touching her back. He had tried his best not to focus on him as to not scare him away, but it seemed the vision had nowhere else he needed to be. Tony watched in horror as Pepper's body was ransacked by another seizure and fell to the floor. Killian's body was still on fire but with the source of it away from him, it was now slowing down. Without thinking and filled with fear, Tony ran toward the entrance of the room and began slamming his body against the now cold doors. The sound of his efforts snapped the other four men out of their stupor and into action.

"Rhodey, Jarvis, come in, now!" Tony said into his earpiece. It only took them a few seconds to arrive to the carnage of the scene. Rhodey pulled up his faceplate and shook his head at what he saw. There was blood splattered all over the place, limbs on the floor, broken furniture, a burned body and a seizing Pepper on the floor.

"What in the name of a motherfuck?!" Rhodey yelped as his repulsors lit up. Jarvis was one step ahead of him and charged the chest RT. In one movement, both suits discharged enough energy to break a hole on all three doors, pushing what was left of Killian's body toward the back wall, bouncing off it and landing just a few feet from Pepper's trembling form.

The men ran inside the room in whatever way they could, stomping over pieces of burnt and bent debris. Bruce stared at the corner where Agent Galaga stood –or at least the vision of him. A blink later the image of Galaga was gone and had been replaced by the image of Bruce's father. A third blink from Banner was all it took for the figure to finally disappear.

"Pepper!" Tony ran toward her with Clint behind him. Between the both of them they turned her on her side when she began foaming from her mouth. Steve and Fury ran toward Killian, and Rhodey and Jarvis made themselves busy by cleaning up the entrance of the room.

"What did she inject him with?" Fury asked as he bent down to stare at Killian.

"I don't know," Tony answered with a huff and holding Pepper's head. "I didn't even know she had anything with her."

Bruce walked toward the discarded syringe and picked it up, his eyes widening when he read the label of the container. "Do you still want Killian to live?"

"What? Why?" Barton asked, not happy to see that Pepper's seizure was not stopping as quickly as the last one had.

"Because…she…this is the cure; the cure to Extremis 1.0."

xxxXXXxxx

Maria Hill pressed the pause button to the video playing on the screen when she noticed Pepper's eyes filling with tears. The video was yet to get to the most shocking part where Pepper had tried to burn Killian to ashes, but Agent Hill knew the arsonist had seen and heard enough. Pepper lowered her head and stared down at her hands, not believing she had lost complete control of herself.

"I…I don't…remember, any of it…it's just…" she said in a soft voice that sounded foreign even to her. She lifted her head once more and eyed everyone in the conference room, all staring back at her with the same look of pity towards her on their faces. "I swear…I…I can't believe…is he…dead?"

"No," Bruce answered. "We injected him with a low dose 1.0 just to help his body regenerate, but we doubt he will ever recover the strength he once had. We're just giving him enough to keep him alive; not giving him a full dose of the virus. It'll be easier to control him that way."

"The prototype cure was working, but it takes a few days to eradicate the virus in the host, so we were able to keep him alive long enough to counteract the effects of the vaccine," Tony added with an even tone despite his true feelings of desperation, of need to shield Pepper away from the pain she was currently feeling. After her seizure, she had passed out for almost two days and had just woken up this morning to having no recollection of the events that landed her in a bed once more.

"Do you remember what he told you before you…before it started?" Steve said, correcting his question to not sound as if he was attacking Pepper or judging her actions in any way.

"He said the Mandarin would come after me, and you, and everyone, and then…nothing. It's as if the memory just dropped off my mind. Is this due to the virus or…am I…" Pepper was unable to finish her question, fearing the answer would be that she was no longer in control –that she had never been in control. What if this was not an isolated incident? What if anything that upset her triggered this behavior? She had lost it a few times when fighting Extremis soldiers and the Mandarin, but something had always allowed her to stop in her tracks. This time, however, she had not held back and not even Tony's voice had helped her come back to her normal self.

"I don't know what to say…This is not me…" she covered her eyes and her shoulders began to tremble. "This is not me!"

Tony immediately stood up from his chair and walked over to her, grabbed her by her hands and pulled her to him. "I think we're done here for now," he said with a no nonsense tone that no one –not even Fury – dared to challenge. Seeing his word was final, he embraced Pepper and held her as they both stepped out of the conference room.

The rest of the team remained silent as they watched the door close behind Tony and Pepper, and it was not until Fury cleared his throat that everyone's eyes moved away from the exit. "I believe this is the best time for you to offer us an explanation of what happened, Bruce."

Bruce exhaled loudly and nodded. "I guess so. Where should I start?"

"The beginning is always the best option," Clint responded.

"Alright, well…uhm…" Bruce took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes scanned the room and he saw how everyone was holding their breath awaiting his explanation, making him exhale again. "I see dead people," he finally said, not knowing how else to start the conversation. His statement made Darcy's eyebrows shoot up to her forehead.

"I saw that movie, too!" Her comment made Bruce realize this was going to be more difficult than he had originally thought.

xxxXXXxxx

The Mandarin and his guest sat on their respective sides of the table, feasting in celebration of the recent accomplishments. The actions of the guest had sped up the development of the Source, and she was now ready to fulfill the destiny written in books of the Makluan. The Mandarin had doubted the suggestion of the guest would work, but he was thrilled nonetheless that the risk had been worthwhile.

"You're a fast learner, my friend." The Mandarin sipped his tea. "Maybe the Makluan will see you as a good fit for their order and you too can to live forever like me."

"A generous offer, but eternal life is not what I seek," the guest responded as he handed back a ring to the Mandarin.

"Ah, of course!" The Mandarin exclaimed, taking back the ring and placing it back on his left ring finger. "I forget your goals are much simpler than that."

"I've learned that humble objectives fit me best."

"True, but you do approach your goals with much fierceness." The Mandarin said, recalling the images of how the guest had influenced Killian's behavior which had led to Pepper losing control and achieving the highest level of Extremis 2.0 power. "I admire that aggressiveness. However, Ember is now too powerful for us to handle singlehandedly."

"Perhaps, but I assume you had already anticipated that?"

The Mandarin hummed. "You assume correctly," he said as his right hand reached his left pinky, slipping off the ring he held there. "Some say that to fight fire, you must use fire. But I think that you fight fire with ice." He passed on the ring to his guest who took it with a smile.

"And I believe," the Mandarin continued. "That this ring is of better use in the hands of someone like you for that task."

"How soon do you want her to be here?" The guest asked as he picked a finger to place the ring on.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"When do you want your main goal to be fulfilled?"

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**A/N: Feedback? :)**


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N: *crickets chirp* I take it by the silence from the last chapter that aggressive Pepper was too much? Boo! I love aggressive Pepper!**

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**Chapter 26**

"Do you guys work this late all of the time or are we getting special treatment?" A tired-sounding Darcy asked with a yawn as she approached the table in the main lab of S.H.I.E.L.D. Her brain had effectively stopped working about six hours ago when the sun went down, but she could not bring herself to leave Jane behind. As much as the two argued and threw random objects at each other when upset, she had developed a close relationship with her mentor to the point that she considered her to be her best friend. Darcy had always had trouble making friends with other women due to her no-bullshit, sarcastic personality, but Jane had accepted her just the way she was without question, even when she complained about her ill-timed comments. Besides, the current topic of discussion was Pepper's health and mental status, and in the few days she had been around the CEO she could already see the woman had the potential to be another great mentor and friend worthy of Darcy's time and attention.

"Here," Lewis said as she handed Jane and Bruce each a cup of coffee. She then returned to the coffee table and filled two more cups –one for Tony and one for herself – before returning to the main conference table once more. Tony nodded gratefully as he grabbed the cup from her and took a large sip of the steaming hot liquid, causing Darcy to flinch at the idea of the scalding injuries his mouth and esophagus would have with such a feat.

"What am I supposed to do now? Keep her unconscious until this shit blows up, or just the rest of her life, whichever comes last?" Tony asked, sounding as distraught as he felt. Pepper had been incredibly shaken and upset at finding out she had almost killed Killian in a rampage of anger, that Tony had been left with no option but to take a page out of Bruce's antics book and had slipped her a couple of muscle relaxants in her drink. Tony anticipated she would be asleep for one more day, making it two days since she had first woken up after Killian's close encounter with death, but he had _not_ anticipated Fury's order to lock up Pepper in a room and throw away the key as soon as she woke up again.

"You know I don't agree with that," Bruce said. "If the only solution to controlling anger around here was to knock out people, I'd be constantly asleep. But, if we aren't able to prove to Fury that Pepper's incident was a one-time occurrence then she's staying where she is: asleep forever."

"The hell she is!" Tony spat. "I'm not letting Nick or _anyone_ tell me what's best for Pepper. She's in this shit because of me and it's me who gets to decide what happens to her." Tony spat more out of anger than out of common sense. He knew that even if he packed up their stuff and left the base, S.H.I.E.L.D would continue to stalk them until Pepper was put in a cell. There was no way they could bring the kids with them while they ran away from S.H.I.E.L.D., so the option of becoming fugitives was useless to him. "What happened in there was not her fault! She would _never _lose control like that just because; Extremis or no Extremis."

"You know that," he pointed to Tony with an open hand before placing his palm on his chest. "I know that, but you don't know how hard it was to convince the others that I could see someone in the cell that no one else could see."

"_The Others_; that's another good ghost movie," Darcy mumbled.

"Darcy, please…" Jane whispered as she continued to review the data from the encounter between Killian and Pepper. "Anyway, I still think that what you saw was more of an illusion rather than a ghost, Bruce."

"It _wasn't_ an illusion, and it wasn't a _ghost_, either."

"_Ghost_ is a tragic spirits movie, too." Darcy interjected absentmindedly as she twirled her hair with her index finger.

"I don't mean an illusion as in it was a fake. I mean an illusion that you _weren't_ meant to see but did, anyway. You said he saw you staring at him, right? Was it because he had no option to hide from you or because he wanted you to see him?"

"I'm listening," Tony said after another sip of his coffee.

"Look, I've been studying the possibility of reaching other dimensions and other worlds that may or may not be somehow…_intertwined _with ours."

"_The Mist_ was about other dimensions," Darcy said, much to Jane's chagrin.

"There is the belief that ghosts are nothing but the materialization of our souls into whatever dimension we move on to after we die. It's beyond what we know, understand and believe today, so it ends up sounding fantastic or made-up."

"And your point?" Bruce asked.

"Well, simply…What if the Hulk's ability to see astral projections gave you, Bruce, an ability to see through these portals or rips in the space-time continuum? What if what you saw, that Killian saw too, was real but not meant for our eyes? I mean, Killian seemed convinced that what he saw was there, and you heard this thing's voice in the recording, right?"

"Yeah, I still need to transcribe it for Fury but, yes, I heard what he said. He sounded like Agent Galaga but it couldn't have been him. Maria checked the records and he was on duty on the other side of the base. Plus, no one saw anybody walk in or out of Killian's cell."

"It could've been the Mandarin," Tony offered with a shrug. "We don't know much about him other than he has some weird superpowers. Maybe one of his powers is to cast illusions or whatever you want to call them."

"Maybe he likes to act like the _Wizard of Oz_." Darcy's comment was left unchallenged, the three scientist opting to ignore the obviously tired and delirious college student.

"So, screens and smoke? I don't think so. This guy caused Pepper to have a seizure, TWICE. How did he do that if he was just an illusion created by the Mandarin?" Bruce contested. "Then again…"

"Then again, what?" Tony asked, not sure if he was ready to deal with more information about ghosts and goblins and the possibility of Bruce suggesting to use a Ouija board to convince Fury that Pepper was not a threat. He was already angry enough that this so-called illusion had caused Pepper to seize for no apparent reason other than because he could, and that he –Tony, could do absolutely nothing about it. What if the next time this illusion appeared he took more than just Pepper's ability to remain alert? What was stopping his illusion from appearing in front of his kids while he was not around?

"Well, the first time I saw him he looked like my father, and I thought it was him. It wasn't until you told me you couldn't see him that I started wondering what was really going on. He told me he was coming for Pepper, but if the Mandarin is as strong as you said, then he wouldn't be warning us about it, right? He would just take her?"

"Killian's recording said that she was not ready yet for whatever the fuck he wants her for." Tony sighed, feeling they were going around in circles. "How does this even relate to proving to Fury that Pepper is not a danger to any of us? I thought this was the point of this midnight meeting."

"The point of this meeting is to analyze the data gathered from the encounter." Jane clarified again. "The only data I have says that Pepper lost control when she became upset, and without any other information that Fury can see or hear that shows that the attack was provoked by an external force we can have control over, Pepper is going to be sedated indefinitely just as Aldrich was supposed to be in the first place. I don't want that to happen but the data leaves me no other choice."

Tony groaned and rested his back against his chair, his hands on his hips. The four of them remained silent for a long time, lost in their own thoughts until Tony stood up and headed to the door, stopping by the exit only to speak once more. "Bruce, get the transcript of Killian's conversation to Fury tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting for you in the meditation room tomorrow at ten. Jane, Fury needs your recommendation to decide if S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to take my wife away, so before you suggest she is locked up against her will in the same cell Killian was in, please review those charts until you're absolutely _certain_ there is no way to prove that someone was with them in that containment unit."

"What about you?" Bruce asked.

"I'm gonna check up on my kids."

"But, Tony: it's the middle of the night!" Bruce's comment was waved off by Tony's hand. He knew Happy would answer their encrypted transmitters at any time.

xxxXXXxxx

Natasha and Clint sat in Fury's office, waiting for the Director to show up to this impromptu meeting. Maria Hill had woken them up early today, and they had been informed that they were due at the office in half an hour. It was an hour later and Fury was yet to show his face. The lack of information that Maria had for them regarding the reason for the meeting worried the assassins.

"You think we're getting fired?" Clint joked, hunched in the chair.

"Are you kidding? Where will Fury find agents like us? Besides, you know people don't just get let go around here."

Clint shrugged. "It wouldn't be the worst thing, you know. At least we would be fired together."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "We're not getting fired. Stop it, already."

The door opening behind them made the two agents straighten their backs and stand up from their chairs as Fury walked in and headed directly to his chair, a folder in his hands. "Sit, agents."

Natasha and Clint sat back down and exchanged a quick look between them before staring directly at Fury. Fury collapsed in his chair and rubbed his bald head before slamming the folder on the desk. "I take it Hill didn't tell you why you're here."

Both agents shook their heads in unison.

"Well, I kinda have an idea of where this conversation is going to go, but I'm still going to have it if only for the record. It is my recommendation that you two stay away from Avenger business until further notice."

Natasha furrowed her brows. Fury had never: a) Recommended rather than ordered anything to them; or, b) Insinuate in any way that they were not capable of successfully completing a job. "I don't understand."

Fury exhaled as he lifted the folder from his desk and passed it to Natasha. The redhead grabbed the folder and opened it immediately, Barton leaning closer to her to see the contents of the file. "This morning, Doctor Foster gave me some shocking news. It turns out that Doctor Banner _is_ able to see astral projections in his Hulk form as proved by a rather unconventional experiment I will not attempt to explain. More importantly, she was able to find a disturbance in the environment in Killian's cell when Mrs. Stark beat the living shit out of him. As of today, we are no longer fighting against out of control science experiments. We are now encountering inter-dimensional bullshit."

"Do you not believe it, Director?"

Nick Fury scoffed. "I do. I did since he told us during the meeting. I just didn't want to believe it; I didn't _want it_ to be true. I've seen weirder shit in my time, but this time I'm not willing to let two of my best agents walk into portal cousin to the _Outer Limits_. Last time something like this happened it nearly cost me a nuke up Manhattan's ass, a billionaire lost in space, a base that has not been able to be rebuilt, and several of my agents' free will."

"Are we being dismissed?" Barton asked in a serious tone.

"No. But I urge you to stay out of this mission. I already asked Stark, Rhodes, Rogers and Banner the same."

"By ask you mean they said 'no'?" Natasha ventured.

"Correct. I've learned that I can't really order _them _not to get involved in saving-the-world situations: it's what they were brought in for. You, however, are Avengers by accident, and I nearly lost you two during our last mission. I could make this an order, but I think we're beyond that at this point."

"I noticed you didn't mention Pepper. Is she still being locked up?" Barton asked.

"No, locking her up would be counter-productive at this point in light of these results to Banner's claim, but I haven't had the chance to speak with her directly. Stark will relay the message, although I know what her answer is going to be, as well."

"So, if you don't want any of us to go, what are we supposed to do? Wait until this Mandarin guy comes and snatches her?" Clint asked.

"Potts has already identified the sites of soldier clusters around the world," Fury began. "And since the prototype of the serum works, and Stark and Banner have created an airborne version of it, we're going to start dropping the cure on these locations."

"That only takes care of the 1.0's and maybe early-stage 2.0's. What about the rest? What about the Mandarin? He's going to continue making more soldiers as he's done so far." Natasha pointed out.

"I think that for now all we can do is sit and wait."

xxxXXXxxx

Coulson's office was very comfortable for a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, even if it was only due to the leather couches he had ordered to be brought in. His office was mostly designed to be adaptive to his disability, but with an almost constant presence of Jarvis in the room, Phil rarely left his desk. With no superhero business present and without Tony's requests for assistance, Jarvis had opted to learn the ropes of the agency from Coulson, and assist him in compiling and analyzing all the data they had gathered so far regarding the ongoing investigation of the Extremis mission.

It was three days since Fury's meeting with Natasha and Clint had transpired, and today Coulson and Jarvis had the task of assisting Bruce with the hypnosis session that was about to take place in their office. After Pepper had woken up from her long slumber, Tony had informed her of Fury's initial intentions of sedating her, but that thanks to Bruce and Jane they did not have to worry about this being the case. She had also been told about Fury's suggestion for everyone to back down from the mission but she had declined the offer completely –just as he knew she would. She knew Fury was running out of options, and that the results of the Congo mission had struck a chord within the usual business-like man, but backing down was not going to get them anywhere. Tony and Pepper were going to retire from the business but not before making sure the greatest threat S.H.I.E.L.D had ever encountered since the New York incident was completely eradicated from the face of the planet

What was non-negotiable and Fury had made clear to everyone, however, was the fact that chasing after Extremis soldiers was out of the question from now on, and that this task was going to be handled remotely in the form of automatically-piloted Quinjets dropping the cure onto the known clusters of soldiers. Pepper was still – and much to her frustration, unable to detect 2.0's, so they could only hope that any recently created 2.0's happened to be hanging out with their counterparts when the canisters containing the Extremis cure were dropped from the air.

Coulson sat in his chair on his desk, observing the scene unfolding before him. Jarvis was assisting Bruce in setting up the video camera, voice recorder and vitals monitor that would be used to record the results of the hypnosis session. Bruce had hoped that the sessions would be individual but both Pepper and Tony had refused to let the other relive the traumatizing experience alone. Once the vitals monitors came to life, Bruce became busy hooking up the couple to the sensors just in time for Jane's and Darcy's arrival to assist with the readings of the environment radar they were bringing in.

"Sorry we're late," Jane apologized. "Someone just _had_ to harass Rhodey on our way here, again."

"Hey! It's only considered harassing if the other person is insulted," Darcy defended herself, causing Tony to chuckle.

"Called Rhodey 'small' again?" Tony asked.

"I wish," Jane mumbled while she began calibrating the radar.

"Really?" Tony was enthralled. "What did you say, Darce?" Tony asked her using the new nickname he had given the amusing girl. Darcy rolled her eyes and shook her head as if what she was about to tell them was not out of the ordinary.

"I just stopped to pick up a cup of coffee and Rhodey was there. He asked me how I liked my coffee and I told him how."

Jane scoffed. "That's not _exactly_ what you told him, Darcy."

"What did you tell him?" Pepper asked, intrigued as everyone else in the room.

"You can't blame me for it, alright? He set himself up!"

"But _what _did you tell him?" Tony asked again, growing impatient and wanting to know how else he could tease Rhodey about Darcy's obvious crush on the General.

"He said: 'Hi, Darcy. Want some coffee?' I said: 'Yes, please." Then he asked: 'How do you like it?' and I said: 'Just like my men: _black_.'"

If Jarvis had been programmed to jaw-drop, it would have hit the floor just as everyone else in the room. "What did he do after that?" The billionaire asked with a smirk after regaining his composure.

"Well, do you see my cup of coffee anywhere with me?" Darcy retorted.

"Right," Pepper chuckled despite her attempts to hide it.

"So," Bruce said after clearing his throat. "Pepper, you're ready?"

xxxXXXxxx

"Where are you now, Pepper?" Bruce asked in a soft tone. Pepper had been under hypnosis for about half an hour already, and she had been recalling every detail she could remember of the battle in the Congo. Tony had stayed by her side the entire time, reliving in his still conscious mind the anguish of not knowing if he would make it to her on time, the shock that was finding her under the influence of the Black Ice, and wanting to hit his head against a wall for agreeing to do this.

"I…I'm making sure Natalie and Clint are alright. Clint is unconscious. I want to stay and help…but I hear Steve again. He's screaming…God, he's in pain!"

"What else?" Bruce probed.

"I can sense the soldiers; they're nearby…I leave Natalie and go after Steve. I get there but I'm too late...they've already…God!" She chocked up, took a deep breath and continued. "The soldiers don't even fight me…they run away. They leave someone behind and…" she croaked. "It's Phil! He's bleeding! He's bleeding from everywhere!"

"It's alright, Pepper. He made it; Phil made it." Tony reassured her with a squeeze of her hand.

"I'm looking for something, anything, to stop the bleeding…There's nothing….it's just me…and Phil…and the blood…_oh_, so much blood. I have to do something…so I do. I don't want to hurt him. I swear I didn't want to hurt him…but Phil…he doesn't deserve this," she sniffed. "He's a good man. I don't want him to die!"

"He _is_ a good man." Bruce agreed.

"I'm burning his wounds…the blood stops…but he's passed out. Steve is here…he's gonna take Phil away…the soldiers are coming back. I have to stop them. I can't let them follow Steve and Phil…or find the others. They're injured; all of us are...but_ I_ can heal…"

"Come on, Pepper. Tell me what happened next."

"I kill them…I kill them all. It's so easy; they're so weak. They all come at me, but I kill them with no problem. They think they can defeat me…but they _can't_…I'm stronger than them. I'm almost done…I torch them…but…something's not right. Something's not right at all!"

"What is it, Honey? What's not right?"

"What is that? I-I…Why…my torching…the fire…there's something stopping it…it goes around it…like…like…a sphere…"

Tony looked up to face the others. They knew what Pepper was seeing. It was the same anomaly they had seen in the Doppler radar images and the live feed from the satellites; the same anomaly that had avoided the explosions of the grenades.

"He…he's there…"

"Who is, Pepper?"

"The Mandarin..." she whispered, her face contorting in pain, hitching her breath. "He calls me 'Ember'…he says I have to return home with him…he says this is a test…and that I've passed…I didn't want a test…I'm not a lab rat…I'm not Ember…but…he doesn't care…he just…doesn't…"

"What does he want? Why does he want you? Where does he want you to go?"

"Her heart rate is increasing," Jane informed the team. Pepper's grip on Tony's hand tightened; it hurt him but he just bit his lip.

"He says I need to learn from Killian…that son of a bitch is in on it! He ordered the attack on the Mexican village, he killed Maria…_he killed them all_…DAMN HIM!" Pepper began struggling under the wrist and ankle restrains binding her. Tony had not wanted her to be tied up, but they did not want to risk another meltdown like the one that had occurred in Killian's cell. They could not let it happen again; Fury would have her locked up in no time if she did.

"His hand…he's opening his hand to me…snow…_ice_…a blizzard, just like before…It's coming at me…his hand is sending it to me…but, but…it doesn't affect me. I can melt it. I melt it before it reaches me."

"Pepper, look at his hand. What does he have in it? How is he making the blizzard appear?"

Pepper's closed eyes tightened, her eyebrows furrowing in deep concentration. "Nothing! There's nothing there…"

"There must be something. He can't just make snow and ice appear out of nowhere," Bruce countered.

"But HE IS! His hand is empty…glowing…but empty…He's trying again…he…AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Pepper, focus on…"

"NOO! STOOPPP! IT HURRTSS!"

"What hurts, Pepper? _What_ hurts?"

"He's shocking me! I can feel it running through me! It hurts so much! TONY! GAH!"

"Is Tony there?" Bruce asked as he watched Tony from the corner of his eyes. He was understandably in agony at seeing Pepper like this, but they were too close to stop now. "Do you see Tony?"

"No. He's not there…I don't want him here…I don't want Tony to die…It's just…he…He _wouldn't_ let this happen to me! He wouldn't!"

Pepper thrashed all over the chair, the restrains starting to come undone. Tony's hand was starting to burn; Pepper was heating up. Just when everyone thought they were about to lose her to anger and pain, she stopped her movements and her vitals returned to normal. Tony's hand felt on fire, but he held on. He could always worry about it later.

"He stopped…he told me to stop fighting it…and he stopped." Potts exhaled. "He's saying I'm going to be worshipped…just like he is…_worshipped_…I don't understand. I want to ask him what he means…I do, but…no…NO! TONY, NO!" She began screaming again.

"Is Tony there? Is he there now?"

"YES! I can hear him coming! Why, Tony! Don't! Stay away! Please! Don't! You can't take him! You can't…ugh!" Her sentence ended abruptly when she began to make chocking sounds. Her vitals went off the charts, and her hands flew to her neck.

"Pepper, breathe! You can breathe," Bruce placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's just a memory, now. Breathe!"

The chocking sounds continued for a few more seconds, and just as before, her body relaxed once more. "Tony? I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Tony swallowed hard, brushing away her bangs from her sweaty face. "It's alright, Pep. It's over, remember?"

"I see Tony's face…he's so…_scared_…I didn't want to do anything stupid, Tony. I really didn't…I'm so sorry…Please, don't be mad at me." Tears were falling down her face now.

"I'm not, Pep. I'm not mad."

"Pepper, what happened?" Bruce tried to catch her attention once more. She took a deep breath as if she were returning home from a long run, her shoulders relaxing and her breathing evening out.

"It's dark…so dark…I don't hear anything…can't see…I'm tired. I just want to sleep."

"You will get to rest later, but not now. Not this very moment. Stay with me, Pepper."

"It's so lonely in here, but so calm. I just want to stay where I am. It's just…Wait…"

"What?"

"I can hear again."

"What do you hear?"

"I hear…noise…the Mandarin…he's talking. I can feel my body again. I can see…my eyes are opening…I can see the sky…"

"What else do you see?"

Pepper groaned as if she was just waking up from a long nap. "I'm sitting up. I feel stiff…my neck is sore…and so is my chest. I feel warm…I look down…my wounds are gone. The Black Ice is gone, too."

"Are you alone?"

"I think I am…no…wait…I'm looking up…there's somebody there…in front of me…it's…no…NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Her heart rate increased again. "TONY! TOOONNYY!"

"Is Tony in danger?"

"YES! The Mandarin…Tony is on the ground…he's not moving…I'm going to kill him…I'm going to KILL HIM!"

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm getting up…I'm running to him…to them…He's distracted; he doesn't know I'm there…he thinks I'm gone…but I'm not…I'm never gone. I reach him...so fast…I'm right behind him and…"

"And, what?"

"I punched him…hard…his stomach…"

"You punched him in his stomach?"

"No…no…his back…I made a hole in him…"

Everyone exchanged looks of incredulity. "What do you mean 'a hole,' Pepper?"

"Yes, a hole! My arm is going right through him! He's weak…he's afraid…he's afraid of me…He _should _be afraid; I'm going to kill him. I'm Ember. I'm the Source. He needs me…to live forever, he needs me. He's not worthy of my kind."

"Your kind?"

"He's weak…I'm strong."

"What else? Is he dead, Pepper? Did you kill the Mandarin?"

Pepper chuckled. "He's so silly! He can't even move! My left arm is around his neck now. I'm burning him. My right hand is still going through him. He can't move…he can't…wait…I see it…"

"What? What do you see?"

"His hands…he's…"

"He's what, Pepper?"

"Gone. He's gone!"

"You mean dead?"

"No…he…disappeared…he disappeared…I don't know how…but he did…He was just here…I had him! Oh, no! Oh, God!"

"What?"

"Tony! He's not breathing…he's eyes… they're not blinking. Oh, my God! TONY! NO! TOONNNYY!"

With a loud snap of Bruce's fingers, Pepper's eyes snapped open. She was breathing hard, sweat beads running down her face, and she looked disoriented. She looked all around her, still exhaling deeply and swallowed hard to try and moisten her dry mouth. "What happened? What did I say?"

"I think whatever you said will make more sense once Tony tells us what he saw. But, let's take a break first, OK?"

No one disagreed with Bruce, but no one left the room.

* * *

**A/N:** Any idea what the Mandarin wants with Pepper? This story is coming to its last arc. The final rollercoaster ride begins now.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27  
**

"Alright, Tony. What else do you see?" Bruce asked a hypnotized Stark. It had been difficult to put him under but after several tries, Banner had finally been able to convince his subconscious to let go. Just as with Pepper, Tony had been restrained and his vitals were being closely monitored.

"Jarvis is telling me that Clint is going to be OK, but Natasha needs help. I want to help her but there's nothing I can do. I know Fury's coming, and he'll make sure she makes it. I want to stay, I do…but Pepper…I need to find her."

"Where is she? Is she around?"

"No. I asked you…but you don't get to answer because we see him…_them_, coming to us. It's dark but I can still see. It's Steve…and Coulson…Fuck! What happened to him? He looks…torn apart! They're gonna pay! Whoever did this to him! They're going to pay!"

"Concentrate, Tony. Where are you now?"

"I…uhm…Steve…he said…Pepper…Pepper is still back there! No! Son of bitch! Why is she not with them? I _told _her! I told her to be safe! Dammit! She's screaming!"

"Can you see her?"

"Oh, my God! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Vitals! Vitals going crazy!" Darcy yelled over Tony's screams. He was thrashing as much as possible while still restrained and even though he could not rip through the Velcro and fabric just as Pepper had almost done herself, his efforts to release himself from the wraps were causing his skin to be scratched by the materials.

"NOOOOO! PEPPPERRR! Damn him! DAMN HIM! He's dead! He is SO dead!" Tony's movements were causing the chair to sway. He threw his head back against the top of the couch, the veins in his neck and forehead stuck out like sore thumbs. "She's bleeding! She's coughing blood! I can't…no…Why isn't she healing? She's supposed to heal! Don't leave me, babe…Not again! Pepper! PLEASE! NO!"

Pepper walked to Tony and leaned down over him. She forced his face to lean against hers as she caressed his cheeks with her hands. "It's alright, Tony. Ssshhh…it's alright…"

"Pepper," he whimpered. "He killed her…he killed Pepper…"

"Vitals are stabilizing," Jane said before Bruce spoke again.

"Who did, Tony? Who killed her?"

"Trevor."

"Trevor?"

"Yes…no…wait…only…no…I don't know…he _looks _like him. No, wait. He says he's not Trevor. He says someone used his image. He says he's the Mandarin; the real Mandarin."

"What is he doing now?"

"He's…" Tony sighed, shaking his head. "His hand…he's opening his hand…Oh, shit! My eyes!"

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

"I…I can't see! The light…it's so bright!"

"What light, Tony? It's the dead of the night!"

"I know that!" He spat. "It's the light that's coming from his hand!"

"Is his hand glowing?" Bruce asked, referring to what Pepper had mentioned during her session. "What is he holding in his hand? Is there a flashlight?"

"No! It's empty! There's nothing in his hand…it's just…the light. OH, SHIT! ARGH! My suit! My suit is crushing me!"

"Who is crushing your suit?"

"There's no one else there. It's just crushing me…the sensors, they're going crazy. The pressure is too much…I have to let go of the suit. I have to get out!"

"Get out of it, Tony. Get out of it, and tell me what you see."

"I'm on the ground. I look behind me and see Pepper. She's not moving. I don't know if she's breathing, but she's not moving." Tony's eyes filled with tears. "I think she's dead. I think she's really dead this time."

Pepper continued to hold onto his face, her eyes closed as she concentrated on calming him down in whatever way she could. She could feel Tony trembling under her touch. She was beginning to thinking this session was a huge mistake.

"She's not dead. Fury will be here any moment. He's gonna help you and her."

Tony nodded and let go of a sigh of relief. "OK…yes…I have to stall him. I have to stall the Mandarin until Nick comes around and saves her. He has to save her."

"He will. What's the Mandarin doing now?"

"I'm asking him what he wants. He doesn't answer, though. UGH! He's…shocking me…it hurts….ugh! It. Fucking. Hurts!"

"It'll stop."

"Yes…but…Pepper…I have to hold on. It hurts but I have to save her."

"You're going to. She'll be alright."

Tony nodded, eyes closed but tears still fell from the corners of them. "I'm asking him to spare her…I'll give him anything he wants…as long as he doesn't touch her again. I'd give him anything, I don't care what it is…I'll beg…just, please, not her, but he wants her. I'm telling him he can't have her. She's mine. Pepper is mine. I _need_ her. I _love_ her."

Tony's words were followed by silence in the room. Pepper pulled away from her husband, unable to continue feeling his façade breaking under her touch. Tony had always told her that she made him happy, and she had believed him every time, but she could not do so any longer. The entire session so far had been riddled with Tony's suffering. How could he claim to be happy with her, if the slightest hint of her being in danger made him beg for her life?

_We should've never met, _she thought as she hugged herself.

"Is that it, Tony?" Bruce asked after the silence had extended for too long. "Is the Mandarin gone now?"

"No." His voice was small.

"What's happening now?"

"My body feels hot."

"Why?"

"Extremis," he whispered. "The Extremis is kicking in."

"In whom?"

"Me. In me."

"Can you move?"

"Yes. I can feel my strength coming back. It feels good. He's mad. He's fucking mad at me." Tony chuckled.

"Why?"

"He says I'm not supposed to have the Extremis in me. I don't care what he thinks." The billionaire said in an eerie calm tone. "I had no choice. My suit can't keep her alive; it's useless. _I'm_ useless to her. That's why I did it. To save her. To prove to her that I can still protect her…so she won't leave."

"Leave? Where?"

"_Not_ where…leave…_me_…" At Tony's words, Pepper covered her face with her hands. This was not what she was expecting. She was not sure how much more of Tony's self-pity she could handle.

"Pepper would never leave you, Tony."

"She might. I'm not good enough for her…Killian told me, and he's right. I don't deserve her. But, I can't let go…"

"You don't have to. I'm sure of that. What about the Mandarin?"

"I'm running toward him. I punch him in the face, hard. I try again but I can't touch him anymore. He's behind some wall…it's invisible, but it's there. I'm trying to get through it, but I can't. It's hard…it pushes me back. I get up again. I'm mad. He has all these tricks and I have the Extremis but I still can't touch him. It's not fair. I can't do magic. Magic does _not_ exist!"

"I don't think it does, either, Tony. We need to find out how he's doing this, so we can stop him. So he can't take her."

"Pepper?"

"Yes. We need to stop him so he doesn't take her away."

"Ugh!"

"What is it?"

"My nose is bleeding."

"Did he hit you?"

"No."

"Why are you bleeding, then?"

"The Mandarin…he says it's because the Extremis rejected me. It's not supposed to…I fixed it. I made it better. It's supposed to accept me." Tony began making coughing sounds. His eyes opened wide and he tried to take deep breaths but he felt the air was not coming in. "I can't breathe…the blood…it's in my mouth…"

"Tony, look at the Mandarin. What is he doing?"

Tony began hyperventilating and his vitals were getting out of control once more. Pepper's eyes stared at the heart monitor, fearing it would flatline again. Tony's heart could not handle another infarction. His heart was just too weak for that; it was a miracle it still beat. "Bruce, that's enough."

"We can't stop now, Pepper."

"You're going to kill him! Look at him!" She pointed toward her husband. "He's going to die!"

"Tony, stay with me. What is the Mandarin telling you?"

"Bruce, for God's sake!" Pepper spat, mad at the man's blatant attempt at ignoring her.

"Let's finish this."

"NO! He can't take it!"

"There won't be another chance!"

"But, Bruce!"

"Tony, come on! Tell me what he's doing."

"We're critical," Jane blurted out; prompting Darcy to run toward her backpack and take out the portable defibrillator they had brought with them and getting it ready in case they had to use it.

"Tony!"

"He…he has me by the neck. I'm trying to stop him…but he won't…he wants me dead…He's throwing me up in the air…I can breathe better…but the blood's still coming. Gah!"

"What?"

"He kicked me! Son of a bitch, that hurts!"

"What now?"

"He says my tech is primitive," Tony scoffs. "He says it's no match to the…the…Mc…"

"Mc-what, Tony?"

"Mc…Mak…an…"

"Say it."

"Luan…"

"Come on, Tony. What's the word?"

"Maklu…"

"Maklu?"

"Makluan!"

"Makluan? What's that?"

"They've rejected me…The Makluan have rejected me!"

"Why?"

"I don't know…I don't know! I'm getting tired…there's blood all over me…My pores…I'm sweating blood!"

"Tony, look at the Mandarin. What does he have in his hands?"

"Nothing! GOD! This HURTS!"

"TONY! His HANDS!"

"NOTHING!"

"LOOK. AT. HIS HANDS!"

"It's DARK!"

"HANDS!"

"NOTHING!"

"STARK!"

"NOTHING!"

"HIS DAMNED HANDS!"

"RINGS!"

"What?"

"HE HAS RINGS!"

Bruce snapped his fingers in front of Tony's face, causing the billionaire to startle back to consciousness and take a deep breath. He hung his head and noticed his fingers were digging into the now deeply scratched couch. He would definitely owe Coulson a new sofa chair.

Tony blinked a few times as he lifted his head again. His eyes stared deeply into Pepper's red ones until he could no longer look at her pained face anymore. He could only imagine what he had said under hypnosis; right now he was still confused from the trauma of the memory, but he had no doubt he had said more than he should have. His eyes then moved to stare at Bruce who was patiently waiting for Tony to show signs that he was back to reality.

"Rings," Tony whispered. "Ten rings."

xxxXXXxxx

The knock on the door was almost inaudible but in the silence that was her room she could clearly hear it. It was late at night, and she could think of only a couple of people who would come visit her at such an ungodly hour when everyone was supposed to be asleep; even herself. She pushed herself from bed and walked towards the door. She did not even bother to check through the peephole first before she opened it. "Hey."

"Hey," Steve responded to her. "Did I wake you?"

"No. I was reading a book," she lied.

"OK. I, uhm…I wanted to talk to you."

"Now?"

"If possible."

Hill looked at him up and down and noticed he was not wearing pajamas, but was dressed for combat practice, and it was obvious to her that he had been spending the last few hours in the training room. "Sure, uh. Let me get my shoes."

"Alright." He answered and she disappeared behind the half-opened door. Her slippers were immediately accessible behind the door but she did not return to Steve right away. Instead, she held her weight against the wall and took in deep breaths. Since Tony had told everyone that she and Steve had made out in the closet during the birthday party, she and Steve had not exchanged any words other than those necessary to have work discussions. Fury had pulled her aside earlier today and asked her if there was something he needed to know as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but she had declined to comment. She was not sure herself if there was _anything_ to tell.

Feeling more confident about the awkward conversation she knew was coming, she returned to the door. Steve took a step back into the hall to allow her to walk outside as she closed and locked the door behind her. She turned away from the wall to face Steve. "Did you have any place in mind?"

"No. Do you know of a place we won't be disturbed? Or monitored?" He motioned to the cameras in the halls.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Follow me."

Steve did as told and trailed Maria down the hall of the Director's dormitories' quarters and out of the wing altogether. Neither of them said a word as she led him to the service elevator and pressed the override code to take them to the terrace. A couple of minutes later, Maria and Steve stood under one of the communications towers attached to the roof of the building.

"Do you think you can take us up there?"

Steve's eyes followed the path of hers up the tower and it was then he realized what she had meant. He took note of his surroundings and noticed that with a jump from the floor where they stood to the top of the structure where the emergency staircase lay within, and then a jump from there to the middle of the tower, they could easily reach the landing in the middle of the tower itself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I trust you."

He extended his arm to her and she walked toward him. She surrounded him with her arms and pressed her face onto his chest as she felt his arms surround her waist. She closed her eyes and went rigid in anticipation. The contraction of his muscles under her hands was the only indication that they had moved off the floor of the roof and into the landing of the tower.

When she felt his arms loosen up she pulled away from him, and looked up to face him. He was staring down at her with insecurity unbecoming of the great Captain America –the man who had walked into war by himself and had returned with an army behind him. "There are no cameras here," she informed him as she walked away from him and sat on the edge of the landing, her legs dangling from it.

Steve walked up to her and sat next to her. "Do you come here often?" he inquired.

"Sometimes; when I get tired of living in Big Brother's house."

"How do you get up here?"

Maria pointed to Steve's right with her chin. "There's a ladder over there."

Steve turned to where she was pointing and lo and behold, a ladder _was_ leaning against the tower's side. Rogers furrowed his brows in confusion until he realized why she had not mentioned it until now. He chuckled, the newly found confidence evident on his face when he stared at her once more.

"Crafty," he admitted. "Wouldn't expect less from Deputy Director Hill."

A nervous chuckle escaped her. "No, you wouldn't. No one would."

"It's peaceful out here," he said after a short silence between them. "I see why you like it here."

"It's only peaceful at night, when no one is around. During the day…well, people have jobs to do, right?"

"I guess so."

Maria nodded. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Steve cleared his throat. "Yeah, uhm. Yes, I mean. Well…" he pulled on the collar of his t-shirt. "Maria…about what happened…"

"I'm sorry," she said, her unexpected apology caught him by surprise. "I was over the line. I know it."

"What?"

"I took advantage of you."

"How do you figure?"

"Well…" she exhaled. "You were upset about what Stark did, with reason, mind you. You weren't thinking right and I…took the chance. You were vulnerable and, well…you know the rest."

Steve eyed her quietly, and she was unable to meet his gaze. She instead hung her head and found her fingers to be quite amusing for some unknown reason.

"Are all women in this time this confusing?"

Maria's head snapped to him. "What?"

"You know what I mean. I thought you'd be mad at me. I thought you were still mad and that's why you haven't been talking to me. I was going to apologize to you."

"For what?"

"For the same things you just said."

"You mean you didn't want to kiss me?"

"No! Yes! Well, who wouldn't?"

"Who wouldn't? Are you insulting me or…?"

"Maria, you… are a very beautiful woman, and smart, and you take no crap from anyone, not even Fury. Who wouldn't want to kiss you if they could?"

"OK, now I'm confused. Are we talking about me or Pepper?"

"Well, I guess that can describe Pepper, too, and Natasha, for that matter."

"And Peggy Carter."

"I guess her, too." His eyes stared longingly into space for a moment. "But this is about us."

"Us?"

Steve sighed. "Look, I'm not very good at this, alright? And, I don't know if you were joking, or if you were serious but…and I understand if this is against policy, but…"

"But?"

"I would like it…if you…uhm…" Steve scratched the back of his neck before staring down at Maria until a look of doubt crossed his face. "Wait, you're not a lesbian are you?"

Maria's eyes bulged. "What?"

"Do you know what a lesbian is?"

Maria exhaled.

"Yeah, of course you know. Why wouldn't you, right?"

"Really?"

"I mean, no! I'm not saying you would because you are one. It's just…we'll, you've been around."

"I've been around?"

"The world! Not around guys! THE WORLD!"

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Steve tightened his lips in defeat. He cracked his knuckles, and stared at her from the corner of his eyes, relieved that she had not walked away just yet. Maria exhaled loudly, scratching the side of her forehead with her left hand. There was a subtle movement coming from Steve and she realized what it had been when she felt his hand holding hers.

Her eyes traveled to their joined hands. She then followed the path of his arm, up his shoulders and to his face. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back, staring away from him and into the darkness of the night and enjoying the comfortable silence between them. Words were extremely overrated, anyway.

xxxXXXxxx

Rhodey sat on his bed, his foot irritably patting the carpeted floor. His eyes diverted from the entrance door to the clock on his nightstand, to the bathroom door. His friend had been locked up in it for almost fifteen minutes, and if it was not for the flushing sound and the pacing shadow under the door, he would had already barged in to make sure she was alright.

He waited for five more minutes and he reached the limit of his patience. However, the moment he stood up from the bed, the sound of the unlocking bathroom door stopped him in his tracks. The redhead exited the bathroom with a face as unreadable as if she were in the middle of a mission and with a full, transparent resealable bag in her hand.

His eyes followed her as she walked toward the bed and plopped on it, face up. James mimicked her position, lying next to her on his bed and staring intently at the ceiling above them. The silence between them was long and nerve-wracking, but General Rhodes had long learned to give a scared woman time and space to express herself. He tried to eye the devices held in the transparent bag, searching for an answer to the assassin's predicament, but hell knew he did not know how to read…_them_.

"I got him a new handkerchief," she finally said while still staring at the ceiling. "The one he lent me got burned after the doctors found out I had picked up malaria."

Rhodey nodded as he slowly turned to face her side. "I'm sure he'll like whatever you got him –or even if you hadn't ever replaced it. He was just happy you didn't die on him; we all were."

Natasha gave Rhodey a one-sided smirk. She would never admit it to anyone, but she too was happy she had been given a second chance at life –and not just because she was too young to die. Her ledger was still as red as the day Barton had spared her life and brought her over to S.H.I.E.L.D., and saving him from Loki's grip had not truly repaid the debt she owed him. It had taken an alien invasion, and two near-death experiences – one almost at the hands of the Hulk, and the other due to malaria – to make her realize she would never feel her debt was repaid unless she stayed with him until the day they died. Had she never met Clint she would have not cared if she had died on the field that day in the Congo. Hawkeye had slowly crept his way into her soul of ice, melting its walls with a fire greater than what any Extremis soldier could conjure. "It was a family heirloom – his grandma's – there is no way I can ever really replace it, but I can try."

Her double-meaning words were not lost to Rhodes who chuckled lightly. "'Tash, I don't know if Barton is more open to you when you're alone and has already told you this but, in case he hasn't, as a guy I can tell that he's head over heels for you. You could wrap up fresh dog shit in foil paper and give it to him as his only Christmas present and he'd love it."

An uncharacteristic snort left Natasha's nose. "I can tell you're as clueless about this as I am, Jim. I knew I should've gone to Pepper. Hell! Maybe even Tony would have been of better help."

"Psh! You mean Tony, the guy who told everyone that Hill and Rogers were making out in a closet? Yeah, sure, you go ahead and try that."

Natasha laughed louder this time. Whether it was out of nervousness, excitement or just finding the comment funny, she was not sure. "I guess you're right. I've never seen Maria so flustered in my life."

"Meh," Rhodey shrugged as much as possible while lying flat on a bed. "At least you can feel better about rejecting Steve. I think he's over you."

"True, very true," the smile on her face suddenly fell when she remembered the reason she had come to hide in Rhodey's room while Clint trained by himself in the shooting range. Rhodey saw the immediate change in her posture and knew the big reveal was coming.

"Are you gonna tell him?"

"If there's something to tell…"

"You mean that ain't enough proof?" he pointed at the ten tests in the bag. "What else do you want? A blood test?"

Natasha nodded. "Bruce is gonna help me with it. Just to make sure. These…" she motioned to the bag, "aren't very reliable, apparently."

"You know that this is the end of the road for you, right?"

"Only if I want it to be."

Rhodey sat up on the bed and looked sternly at Natasha. "Do you really think you can come here, drop this bomb on me and expect me to let you out on the field?"

Natasha bit her lip. "If he goes, I'm going with him. I'm not letting him go alone. Fury is right. This is worse than the New York battle, and there is no way I can just let him walk to his death."

"Then maybe you should both stay."

Romanoff shook her head. "Pepper and Tony are going. If they are willing to go, I have no excuse."

"It's hardly an excuse; it just a fact of life."

"A fact of life I may or may not have to deal with soon. I won't make plans until I know for certain what the results are…and if I will go through with it. For now, _please_…just you and me."

Rhodey stared down at Natasha for a few seconds before sighing and shaking his head. He was not happy about keeping it a secret, but he knew this was not his decision to make or his news to divulge. "Fine, but before you do anything you might regret later, think about Barton. You're all he has," he finally said as he remembered the extreme measures people who only had each other went through in order to keep their loved ones by their side.

He was no exception to this rule.

* * *

**A/N:** Te-he-he…he-he...he…


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Tony rested his temple on his closed left hand. His eyes were complaining to him about the bright light of the computer screen in the dark room of his basement in the Malibu home, but he only had a few hours before he and Pepper had to return to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base once more. The only reason he had come back was still three hours away from being completed: a new suit.

Since Jarvis had been adopted into the group of superheroes and had been making great use of the suit of armor, Tony had decided to let him keep the Mark XLIV. He had never thought of giving his AI an actual physical body for him to use but it now made sense to do so; Dum-E and Butterfingers could only do so much for his smart AI. Coulson could probably use Jarvis' assistance, too, anyway, and if Tony ever left one of his fully operational suits anywhere but in his home he was glad it was in the hands of Phil.

As he waited for the Mark XLV to come to life for him with the new specs he was making it to be, he had begun researching the web and all accessible databases for any information regarding the Makluan. So far his search had proven unsuccessful, which was something Tony Stark was not used to: a failure. His desperation to find anything he could on these Makluan whoever-they-were had pushed him to watch the videos of his captivity in Afghanistan in an attempt to find a connection between the Mandarin's rings and the terrorist group named The Ten Rings.

_Has the Mandarin been spying on me since then? Did he work for Stane?_ Tony wondered to himself as yet another search result page proved useless to him. After everything he had seen since his return from captivity and his recovered memories of the fight with the Mandarin, it would not surprise him if the late Obadiah Stane had some beyond-the-grave plans to fuck with Tony's life.

"This is going nowhere," he mumbled as he turned off the computer monitors and covered his tired face with his hands. He could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, and if it pressed just a little harder his spine would break in two. How had everything gotten so out of control in the span of a few weeks? Had they not recently been smiling and laughing at their kids' birthday party.

Happiness seemed like such a farfetched and unattainable emotion now.

Tony stood up from his desk chair and headed to the couch. He knew he would have been more comfortable upstairs with Pepper in their bed, but that was another part of his life that had gone haywire. Ever since the hypnosis session almost a week ago, Pepper had been keeping her distance from him and speaking to him only when needed. They had both spent as much time as possible away from their room at the base when the other was present in it, which had led to Tony training until the wee hours of the morning if just to have something to release his frustration onto.

It had not been until last night that he had asked Jarvis to replay the video of their sessions that he realized why Pepper was so upset. The worst part of it was that the feelings that mingled inside of her were difficult to describe. Upset was the best word for now because he could not tell if she was mad, angry, sad, disappointed, scared, shocked, or simply all of the aforementioned at once.

He closed his eyes with the intention of taking a quick nap, but his tired body had other plans. The next time his eyes opened – six hours later – was due to the familiar sound of clicking heels nearby. He sat up on the couch and rested his left arm on the edge of it, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the figure standing in front of him. "Pepper?"

If Tony was not painfully aware that life was not what it had been four years ago, he would have sworn the strawberry-blonde was coming down to the lab to wake him up after a long night of work, thus fulfilling her first duty of the day as his PA. However, this was not four years ago, and Pepper had long ago stopped being his personal assistant and was now his beloved wife.

"Why are you dressed up? Going somewhere?" He asked her as his eyes absorbed every piece of her in between rubs from his hands, silently trying to piece together the last time he had seen her dressed up in business clothes. She wore a black, pencil skirt that stopped right above her knees, a red, satin blouse and in her arm she held a black blazer. She was wearing her signature red heels and her hair was tied up in a bun atop her head.

"I'm gonna go give SI a look. It's been a while since either of us has been there. I just want to make sure everything's going fine."

"Alright," he said, slowly getting up from the couch and stretching his limbs as he did so. He rubbed some of the drowsiness off his face and walked toward to the exit of the basement. "Just give me five minutes and I'll meet you in the car," he told her as soon as he had passed by next to her standing form.

"No."

Tony stopped his trek toward the staircase and turned around to stare at Pepper's back. She could feel him looking at her with a confused face but she could not turn around just yet. "It wasn't an invitation. I just wanted to let you know where I was going. I'm going alone."

"You could've told Jarvis to tell me later, Pep. You didn't have to come down here to tell me." He told her so that she would know he was not convinced she was telling him the entire truth of her reason for wanting to go to SI.

"I know. But if Jarvis told you and not me, you would've come over to HQ as soon as you found out I was gone."

"Of course I would've. The company is my responsibility, too. I'm not going to let you do all the hard work by yourself."

Pepper scoffed. "Back then, you didn't have a problem letting me do all the work by myself for over ten years, now, did you?"

Tony was taken aback by her response. He walked closer to her and grabbed her by her elbow, trying to make her turn around and face him, but she stayed firmly in place. He knew he could have easily forced her to turn around, but he felt that this was the last thing he should be doing at the moment. Instead, he held her by her waist and rested his forehead on the back of her head, closed his eyes and inhaled her perfume. "What's this about, really?"

Pepper closed her eyes as well and swallowed down the knot in her throat. She thought she was ready to have this conversation with him. She thought she was strong enough now, but she had been completely mistaken. How was she supposed to stick to her guns if the simple fact of his breath on her neck made her knees tremble? "Tony, I want a divorce."

Tony's grip on her waist tightened up and his eyes snapped open, but he did not move away or closer to her. "Why?"

Pepper's hands found his and she pulled them off her waist. She turned around while still holding his hands and twisted them so that his wrists were exposed; his recovering but fabric-burned wrists. "This is why."

His eyes moved from their hands to her face, but she was yet to grace him with even the quickest of glances. "You don't like men with scars? I can have surgery to remove them."

"No, Tony. I'm being dead serious."

"So am I."

Sadly, she knew he _was_ being serious. She knew that if she told him she liked men with yellow hair, he would dye his in the blink of an eye. He would do anything for her, and that was the problem: he would not do anything for himself; not anymore, at least. "Tony…"

"What?" he interrupted her as his left hand snaked around her waist and pulled her closer to him. His right hand traveled to her neck and gently forced her to look up at him. "Tell me what will make you happy, and I'll do it."

"Give me a divorce."

"Except that."

Pepper sighed. "You just said…"

"No. Anything; except that."

Pepper stared down at the narrow space between them; making her wonder when had been the last time they had been as close as this. Would she really be able to live without this closeness? Without him? "I won't take your money, if that's what you're worried about."

"_Fuck_ the money."

"And you can see the kids, whenever you want."

"No. I refuse."

"You refuse to see the kids?"

"Dammit, Potts!" His hold on her tightened even more. "That's not what I…" he closed his eyes and exhaled before resting the side of his face on hers. "What did I do?"

"You…" she began but the words would not make sense in her head. "You're you."

"Well, shit," he whispered to her before he pulled away from her. "I thought you married me for who I am."

"I did."

"So?"

"I regret it," she said before she could stop herself. The miffed look on his face did not escape her. He put his hands in his pockets and looked away toward the staircase. His mind traveled back in time to when the worst act of separation between them that Pepper had ever tried to pull on him was resigning. He had somehow found a way to keep her around every time. He just had to do the same today.

"What exactly do you regret?"

"Tony…"

"Just lay it out for me," he faced her again. "Tell me truth."

"I regret meeting you, ever."

Tony's eyes widened for a second before they returned to normal, and his hands moved to his chest, crossing them on it as if trying to protect himself from the bombshell Pepper was about to throw at him. "OK. That kinda limits my options of what I can do, Pep."

Pepper sighed and looked away. This conversation had gone completely different inside her head, but she should have known better than to think Tony was letting her go so easily. Hell, the irony of how his inability to let her go was the reason why she wanted to end the marriage in the first place was too cruel for her taste. "Tony, when we met, you would always do whatever you wanted to do. I admired that about you; it drove me crazy sometimes, especially when I had to drag your drunk ass out of bad situations, but that's just who you were."

"That hasn't changed, I don't think," his eyes drifted to his now completed suit.

"Now…" she groaned. "You just can't continue living like this, Tony. You lose it anytime the wind blows my hair out of place!"

"You still look beautiful to me when it does," he said to her, finally able to face her once more. "You could wear nothing but an empty potato sack and I'd love you all the same."

"That's the thing, Tony!" she pointed a finger at him, feeling brave enough to walk up closer to him. "I don't want your life to revolve around my safety. I can't stand what it does to you! I won't have it!"

"Is this because of what I might have said under hypnosis? Because…because I was just talking crazy…ya' know? I was full of it during that time."

"No, you weren't. You were being painfully honest about how you feel."

"Did I say I didn't love you, while under it?"

"No, you didn't."

"Then, what's the issue here?"

"The issue here is that somehow, at some point in time, you forgot about yourself –about who you are, about what _you_ need."

"All I need is you," he deadpanned.

Pepper sighed again. "I…your constant need to assure my safety…it's gonna kill you one day, Tony; probably quicker than the suit would. I told you before; I didn't want to be part of your suicidal tendencies. I still don't want to."

"Well, they do say that love kills…"

"TONY!"

"Sorry!"

"Why can't you take me seriously?"

"Pepper," the light mood disappeared from his voice. "Your life is what I take the most serious from everything in mine."

"I know. And I don't want it to be."

"Why not? I accepted the responsibility when I put that ring on your finger…or…the ring we should be receiving in the mail in 7-10 business days."

"Tony…"

"No, hear me out, Pepper."

"No! You hear me out! I'm not a responsibility, Stark! I'm a human being that will one day die! A human being that worries what the hell is going to happen to you when I do!"

"Let's…_not_ talk about that, alright?"

"No, LET'S talk about THAT. Last time you thought I was dead you went into seclusion in a forest in the middle of nowhere!"

"The Middle of Nowhere is actually in Texas. _I _moved to Colorado."

Pepper covered her face with her hands, groaning in frustration. "Anthony Edward Stark…"

"Yes, Dear?"

"Don't call me that."

"Honey?"

"Stop it."

"Babe?"

"Tony…"

"Love…"

"Oh, brother…"

"Sweetheart?"

"Tony, I already spoke to an attorney."

"No."

"I'm meeting him today."

"No, you're not."

"He has prepared the papers."

"I won't sign them."

"You don't have to."

"YES, I DO! I do have to sign them! I'm not letting you walk away, Pepper Potts….Stark!" he amended his statement. "You heard that? _Your _last name is _my_ last name. Stark! As in MY Pepper Potts-Stark!"

"I'm not property!"

"No, you're not! You're the woman I love!"

"I can't do this. You're not listening to me."

"I am, Pepper. I've never been so attentive to anything else as I am to this. I've been listening to every word you've said, and you know what I heard?"

Pepper shook her head and began walking away from him. As she tried to walk past him he blocked her path. "Honey, please. Ask me what I heard; ask me, and I'll tell you."

Against her better judgment and feeling her resolve dissolving in his pleading eyes, she nodded. He cupped her face in his hands and leaned forward to kiss her. Pepper responded to his touch immediately, melting away if only for an instant the fears that plagued her; the same fears that had made her pick up the phone and call a divorce attorney two days ago.

Once the kiss ended, Tony pulled her so that her chin rested on his shoulder and he did the same with hers. "I heard that you have the same problem that I do."

"W-what?" She managed to ask before her voice broke. His embrace became tighter when she began to shake, and he whispered into her ear.

"I heard that you want to leave me because you're afraid for me; for what I might do if you were to become injured, or worse. But, isn't that what you are trying to do, too? You want to make sure you're not the cause of my misery by not being there at all. You accuse me of thinking only about you, but aren't you also just thinking about me?"

"It's not the same."

"Yes, it is." He kissed the side of her face. "It really IS the same. Pepper, you need me as much as I need you. I heard your session, too, remember? You wanted to protect me from him as much as I wanted to protect you. I know I go overboard sometimes…"

"Only sometimes?"

"99.99% of the time, but it's only because…because…" he sighed. "Why would I not fight to keep the only damned good thing in my life with me? The only woman insane enough on this planet that is willing to risk it with me? To have my kids? I'm damaged, Pepper. I know that. I don't want to damage you, too, but you can't just expect me not to cling onto the only person that makes me feel that I can do good too; the only person that believes that there's more to me than weapons and money. I'm here because you believed in me. And now you want me to just go back to who I was before? I can't do that, Pepper. I can't."

"I hate you, Stark," She said with a sniffle.

Tony chuckled. "If by 'hate' you mean 'love,' then hate me all you want."

"Tony…"

"Don't end this, Pepper." His serious tone returned. "We have something good, here. Why end it?"

"I don't suppose I can make you promise that you won't freak out about me anymore, huh?"

"You can make me promise…"

"But," Pepper began. "I can't make you keep it," she finished what she knew would be his next sentence, reading his mind as she did most of the time.

"And, this, my love, is why we belong together."

xxxXXXxxx

Natasha laid her head on top of Clint's chest, her left arm around his stomach and her right arm curled between his side and her chest. Barton's left arm rested on her back, his fingers playing with her red tresses. His bent right arm under his head propped him higher on the pillow, and he stared up at the ceiling, remembering the last time had woken up to that view of his room. It had been the day he had woken up after the Congo mission to find out that Natasha was on the brink of death.

Other than his steady breathing and the running of his fingers through her hair, he was incredibly stiff under her. It reminded her of the last time he had been so still she thought he had truly died on her that time around. Her dreams did not let her forget the feeling of despair that she felt when she worked hard to breathe life back into him, as well as the feeling of relief when he had finally coughed, opened his eyes and uttered her name.

"Tasha?"

"Mmhh?"

"What do you really think about this mission?"

"The Extremis mission?"

"Yeah."

"I think it's the weirdest mission we've ever have to deal with."

"Really? What about New York?"

"OK. Weirdest _since_ New York. Why do you ask?"

Barton pulled his right hand from under his head and brought it to his waist, patting around it until he found Natasha's hand. He pulled her hand up to his lips and tenderly kissed her fingers. Once he was done, he kept her lose hand on his mouth, rubbing her skin against his lips. "Define 'weird.'"

"'Define weird?' Are you serious?"

"Yup."

"OK. Umm; weird: something that is irrevocably fucked up in every way, shape or form."

"I thought that was the definition of 'fucked up.'"

"No. The definition of 'fucked up' is: something that Tony Stark said or did that went wrong."

Clint laughed. "I take it you heard about the codenames for his protocols?"

"Sadly, yes. If you ever fuck up, Barton, just tell me to my face, please."

"I kinda won't be able to, Nat. I don't have an AI to do my will after I kick the bucket."

"Stark is so lucky in that respect," she joked. "But, anyway, why are you asking me this? Are you planning on dying on me or something?"

"No, but no one ever really plans that, right?"

"Guess not. Some things just happen; they're not planned at all." She said, memories of her talk with Rhodey coming back to her. "Anyway, hey! I have something for you."

"What is it?"

Natasha lifted herself from Clint and stretched her left arm to reach the nightstand on her side of the bed. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a small box before closing the drawer again. Now curious, Clint sat up on the bed and was shortly joined by Natasha who presented the gift to him with both hands. "Here"

Barton's eyebrows raised a little, causing Romanoff to hesitate about her idea. "Or not," she added to her previous statement and moved her hands to retract the box but Clint held her arms in place with his hands.

"Wow! Wait, you can't just give me a gift and then decide to take it back."

"Well, you didn't seem to like it."

"It's not that. It's just…I've never received a gift before from anyone other than my grandmother."

"Oh," the Widow relaxed, "OK."

The Hawk grabbed the long box from her hands and carefully opened it to reveal a neatly folded piece of fabric inside. He pulled it out and his mouth hung when he unfolded the handkerchief to its full size. "Nat, is this? I thought…"

"It's not, but it is. I had someone replicate it as much as she could with my description. I know it won't replace the one I plagued with malaria, but…"

"This will do, Nat. Thanks." He gave her an honest smile. "Oh, hey! I have something else for you that my grandmother gave me," he said as he stretched his arm and reached inside the top drawer of the nightstand on his side. He pulled out a small square box and handed it to her. Natasha grabbed the box and placed it on her left palm, hesitating to open it up.

"What is it?" Hawkeye asked her.

"Barton, I don't want to infect more of your heirlooms."

"This can't be contaminated, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Positive. Open it."

"If you say so," she responded as she opened the box. Inside it was a silver necklace that looked to be a result of very old and very intricate handwork. The necklace was placed in such a way that it twirled round and round inside the box, so while it was not the best arrangement to show off the piece of jewelry, it did allow to show how the parts worked together to produce the elegant piece. "This looks extremely valuable, Clint. I can't accept it."

"Nat, you know I don't have much; I'm not Stark. But I have this, and I want you to have it."

Natasha had to admit that the necklace was beautiful. It was elaborate but simple at the same time, and she had never been a fan of gold, so the silver color and material was perfect for her. Neither she nor Barton left the base much other than for missions, so she knew she would rarely get the chance to really use it outside the base, but if it made Clint happy that she had it even if it was just inside her drawer then she would at least give him that simple joy.

"Alright. I'll accept it, but under one condition."

"What is it?"

"If I ever come down with Malaria again, you take this off me! Don't let them burn this, too."

"Nat, I don't think you'll ever get Malaria again with Bruce around."

"Guess so."

"Aren't you gonna try it on? Here's a mirror," he said as he quickly stood up from the bed and walked over to his dresser and took from the top drawer a hand mirror. He returned to Natasha who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, straightening out her clothes. He kneeled on the floor in front of her and held the mirror with both hands near her as she pulled the necklace from the box. The chain was quite long, and she could already calculate that it was probably going to have been trimmed to fit her. Once the entire necklace was out of the box, she gasped.

There, at the end of the necklace, was a diamond ring –an _engagement _diamond ring. The mirror in front of Natasha lowered slowly to reveal Hawkeye's nervous face as he stared up at her shocked one. For the first time since they had met, Clint Barton could not read Natasha's mind.

* * *

**A/N:** What do you think her answer is going to be? Who wants a YES? Who wants a NO?


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Rhodey and Tony sat on one of the couches in the break room of the base, watching the latest basketball game while they drank a few beers. Tony was more of a wine, scotch and whiskey fan, but he had acquired a taste for the type of beer his friend liked to drink when he allowed himself to act like a normal human being. It had been quite some time since the two of them hung around like this, and since they were yet to find anything on the Makluan and relevant information regarding the apparently now disbanded Ten Rings terrorist group, they were all pretty much in standby mode.

Coulson and Jarvis had been in charge of scheduling daily training sessions amongst the team. The idea behind these matches was that if they had to wait for information to pop up about the location of their enemy, the downtime was best spent keeping their skills in top shape. Since Coulson had been the one to keep Natasha's and Clint's abilities sharp, Fury had assigned Phil the task of making sure the Avengers trained every day against each other, and rotated the opponents to enhance and acquire new skills. Coulson had taken this task to heart, and even the mostly peaceful Bruce was learning how to shoot a gun.

Jane, Darcy and Selvig had been working on attempting to replicate the powers Pepper and Tony had described the Mandarin had used against them. The scientists were familiar with the concept of cloud seeding, which had become popular lately as a means to produce rain in drought-stricken areas. However, the technology was still in its early stages, and there was no way the science of today could allow to miniaturize the device to the size of a ring. Perhaps, what they needed was to lock up Tony in a cave with a box of scraps and put him to work.

Maria and Steve had been seen spending more time together, but it was difficult for witnesses to determine if the bets had been won or lost. They were yet to catch them in the act other than the known rumor that they had made out at Stark's kids' birthday party, but so far the gossip was unconfirmed as neither attendee of said party had wanted to say yay or nay about it. Nick Fury, however, in all his Director glory knew that they two agents were taking it slow, but for the sake of his Deputy Director's reputation he had kept this privileged information under wraps.

After Pepper and Tony had talked about their worries that day in the Malibu mansion's basement, and after the divorce scare, their relationship had only grown stronger than before. Pepper still had reservations regarding the extreme measures Tony was willing to take to keep her alive and kicking, but she understood that his fear only came from the presence of enemies stronger than he, whom at this point happened to be the Mandarin. She hoped that after the Mandarin was stopped and they retired from the Avengers, his paranoia would diminish somewhat. She knew that he would always worry about her as much as she worried about him, but he would not be Tony Stark if he was not as overprotective of what he considered to be his to safeguard.

Clint and Natasha's relationship was a completely different story –one that was actually unknown to most. It was no surprise that the agent couple was in fact a real couple, as established as any couple of assassins could be; but ever since Clint's covert-style proposal had taken place, the state of affairs between them had become strained. They still shared a room regularly, they still trained together, and still talked to each other, but something in their demeanor when together had changed. The team - minus Rhodey, who was kept up-to-date regarding every step Natasha took in her relationship with Clint – had not yet been able to identify the source of their troubles, but something major had definitely happened between them.

Rhodey knew that an update conversation between he and Natasha would soon take place immediately after she felt ready to talk about what was bothering her and Barton, but the worry about what was happening to his friend had not allowed him to truly enjoy his time with Tony, especially when the latter kept bringing up uncomfortable discussions such as the one that was taking place at the moment.

"So," Tony said after taking sip of his beer. "How are things going with you and Darce?"

Rhodey rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "What things? There aren't any _things_ going on with me and Darcy. How many times do I have to repeat myself, Stark?"

Tony sighed loudly before taking a larger sip of his drink. "That's a shame, really. You two make a great couple. I heard she likes her men like she likes her…"

"STOP IT!" The General covered his ears. "I still can't believe she said that."

"Rhodey, you're a fucking military man. Are you telling me you've never had girls throw themselves at you? I mean, you're not me, but not everyone can be like me."

Rhodey gave Tony a disapproving look. The General should have known that Tony would forever talk about his playboy times until the day he died, despite having abandoned that route for Pepper a long time ago. "_Girls_? No. _Women_, yes."

"Same thing."

"No, it's not, you freakin' pedophile. I can be her father!"

Tony scoffed. "What? Are kidding me? She's not _that_ young and you aren't _that_ old. Besides, love doesn't care about age," he motioned to his heart in an overly dramatic way.

"Doesn't it, really?" Rhodey asked, more to help speed along whatever Tony was dying to say rather than for the sake of argument. Arguing with Tony Stark was left to the pros: his wife.

"Of course!" Tony threw his hands in the air. "Just think about it for a minute," he pulled up his sleeves. "Natasha is about five years younger than Barton, right? But they make it work. I'm eight years older than Pepper, and we're happy."

"And I'm the total age requirement of a legal adult older than her. She's still in college, for fuck's sake!"

"GRADUATE school! It's totally not the same as college."

"18 years is still a lot."

"Not around here."

"How do you figure?"

"Well," Tony placed his beer on the table to allow his hands become free of restrictions as he made his point known to James. "Just look at the Boy Scout/Girl Scout couple: Maria is like 30-ish, and he's, what…90-ish?" he narrowed his eyes. "Shit, see now _that's_ old. Anyway; and let's not forget about Hammer Time. Jane is about late 20's, early 30's, and Thor is about, what? _Ten_ centuries old? Puts you and Darcy's age difference into perspective, huh?"

James' face showed how truly unamused he was with Tony's squabble. "Really? You're comparing me to a super soldier who looks as if he was in his twenties, and a demigod that probably will look in his thirties when he hits five millennia? Real clever, Tony. Now, I'm totally convinced," The General finished with another sip of his beer.

Tony stretched his arms on the back of the couch, silently staring at the General and tilting his head from side to side. He narrowed his eyes at him as he analyzed James as if he were one of his defective prototypes back at home, causing Rhodes to become uncomfortable.

"What now?"

"Oh, nothing," Tony sing-sung. "I just find it interesting how during this entire conversation you haven't denied that you like her."

Rhodey's eyes widened as he cleared his throat, prompting Tony's smile to widen.

"Holy shit! I was just messing with you but, you DO like her?"

"You have issues, Stark."

"Not as bad as yours."

"Really? What issue do I have, exactly?"

"Darcy and Rhodey, sitting in a tree…"

"Oh, my God."

"K-I-S-S…" Tony interrupted his singing when Rhodey stood up from the couch. "Whoa! Where are you going, platypus?"

"I'm going to talk to Darcy and straighten this issue out. She needs to move on, and you need to stop encouraging her and bothering me about it."

"Are you really going to break her heart? I thought you were better than that."

"It's a CRUSH, Tony. She'll get over it tomorrow."

"OK. Fine, be mean to the poor girl," Tony retorted, staring at his watch. "Hey, wait! What about our training match? Coulson's gonna bitch if we don't stay on track."

"Meet me in the gym in an hour. I'll go talk to Darcy, pick up my itinerary for tomorrow from Coulson, and then I can kick your ass."

"Whatever. An hour; don't be late."

xxxXXXxxx

The video recording of Pepper and Killian's fight finally ended, and Pepper closed her eyes. She had spent the last two hours in the main lab of the base in the company of Selvig, Jane, Bruce and Darcy as they tried to explain to her that she was not a danger to the team. Even though Tony had already explained to her that it was almost certain that some external force had been at play in her and Killian during their last encounter, Pepper had wanted to hear from someone other than her devoted husband that she was indeed not a threat.

"How did you guys figure out someone else was there?"

"Bruce sees dead people," Darcy immediately responded, nodding to accentuate her point. "I think it's awesome that he does even if he doesn't like to talk about it. I also think he should sign up for the Psychic Network; make tons of cash."

By this point, Darcy's comments had become routine among the group, and rather than being seen as annoying as Jane had once feared, they were becoming a welcome positive spin to their troubles, almost always putting a smile on everyone's face.

"Do you also still think I should become the official mascot of the firefighters, Darcy?" Pepper asked.

"Hell yeah! I mean, it's not as profitable as a CEO, or whatever, but imagine how many people would love to represent you? You can have lunchboxes and backpacks with your face all over them. It's all in the merchandising, Pepper."

"Anyway," Jane interjected. "To answer your question, Pepper, Bruce did tell us somebody else was there, but since only he could see it, we had to tweak our cameras a little, play with some images and radars, and some other…weird…science…_stuff_, and we were able to determine that whoever or whatever is doing this, is not doing a good job at covering his trace."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at this scene," Bruce said as he turned his laptop around to show a still image of Killian in his cell. "At first glance, it seems as if Killian is there by himself." Bruce typed something in the software used to manipulate the image, and suddenly the picture changed to an infrared view. "Energy doesn't dissipate; it just changes its form. Sometimes energy is released as work, like when your blender mixes your smoothies. Sometimes it is released as kinetic energy, like when you run over a deer on the road. If the car was stopped, the deer wouldn't be affected by the car being there. But, if the car is in motion, the energy it obtains from moving will kill the animal.

"Another type of energy conversion is heat, just as we see in this image." He pointed to an accumulation of red dots in front of Killian. "The more energy the object needs to _do_ work, the more heat it releases. That's why our electronics get hot when in use or engines in cars blow up when they are on and stuck in the traffic."

"So, what I'm seeing here is the heat signal of something in the room with Killian?"

"Yup. The shape is kinda sketchy here because we are doing the analysis post-event, and not during but, if we sharpen the image just a little," he typed another sequence into the computer. "We can kinda see the shape of a human outline."

"That still can be anything, right?" Pepper was not convinced.

"It could, but we also ran an electromagnetic disturbance analysis. The easiest wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum humans can detect with the naked eye is light and the most powerful radiation type in the entire electromagnetic spectrum is gamma rays," Bruce changed the image once more, and the red blob of the infrared image became the solid outline of a person standing in front of Killian. "There's our intruder."

"What does this mean?"

"It means that whoever is there has a lot of energy to give out and could very well be the Mandarin in disguise," Selvig began. "Based on your hypnosis session, the Mandarin used electricity and light during your fight with him, all of which are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The fact that this thing is releasing off lots of gamma radiation suggests the source is the same."

"OK. Let's say that there is somebody there. How do we know it was there when I…fought Killian?"

"Well, we got smart about it, and we installed receptors inside," Bruce continued. "Here are the images from the fight."

Pepper watched in awe at the still images of the fight and noticed how the same infrared and gamma ray readings appeared throughout the cell. The last outline appeared behind her, his hand clearly touching her back.

"Is this when I had the seizure?" Pepper asked and was immediately responded to by everyone's nod. "How about the first time I had the seizure?"

"I can't prove it, but he was there. Only that time he looked like Tony."

"Tony?"

Bruce nodded. "He tricked me. If I had known it was anyone else, I wouldn't have let him get near you."

Pepper took a deep breath. "This is…a lot to take in, but I'm happy you all went through the trouble of finding out. I'd be locked up if it wasn't for you."

"Don't thank just us. Tony helped, too." Darcy said.

"By ordering everyone to find an answer?"

"That's right," Darcy nodded.

"Thought so," Pepper said with a smile. "But you didn't have to listen to him. Thank you."

"How could we not listen to him? It's nearly impossible," Bruce said.

"Next time we meet, _I'll_ teach _you_ guys a thing or two."

They all laughed aloud until Darcy's phone rung. She took it out of her pocket and her eyes bugged out when she saw the name on the text. "Holy shit! I gotta go!"

xxxXXXxxx

She stood in front of Rhodey's door, incapable of knocking on the door just yet. She took in deep breaths, made sure her hair and glasses were just right, and she ironed her clothes with her hands. Once she felt comfortable with herself, she lifted her hand to tap on the door but she never actually had the chance to touch the metal contraption; the door opened by itself.

Or, almost by itself – Rhodey had opened it from inside.

"Hi, you beeped?" Darcy asked, unable to stop her top teeth from biting into her bottom lip. "What can I do for you?"

"I, uhm…come in. I'd like to talk to you." The General stepped aside, allowing Darcy to come inside his room, and she quickly did so. He closed the door behind him and turned around to face her. She was standing a few feet in front of him, her restless posture betraying her nervous state. He pointed to his small two-seat table by the corner of the room and she walked to it.

Out of instinct, Rhodey's hands found the back of the chair and pulled it out for Darcy, and it was not until he remembered what he had called her in for that he realized how his action could be misinterpreted by her. Knowing there was no undoing his sign of chivalry, he helped Darcy get close to the table by pushing the chair inside before he walked around and sat in the opposite chair.

Rhodey rested his forearms on the edge of the table and stared at Darcy in silence.

"Something tells me you didn't call me here for help," Darcy said when she noticed nothing around them screamed _grunt work_. Rhodey's room was as impeccable as anyone would expect from a military man, the immaculate room only rivaled by Steve Rogers' quarters. Even though she was officially Jane and Selvig's assistant, she had offered her help to anyone on the team, stating the opportunity would look amazing on her resume.

_"Who else can claim to have been the administrative assistant to the Avengers?"_ she had said before adding _"That should at least get me some interviews, right?"_

Rhodey shook his head at her to confirm her statement, and took a long breath. "Look, Darcy, what I'm going to say is not easy, but I have to clear this up."

"Is this about the coffee joke?"

"Yes…and no. I kinda set myself up for that," he admitted."

"That's what _I_ said but no one believed me!"

"I can see why they didn't, but that's not the point of asking you to come here."

"So, what is then?"

"I want to apologize to you," James said, which immediately caused Darcy to look surprised.

"What? You didn't do anything to me."

"It seems like I didn't, but I did."

"OK. What did you do?"

"I…I think I gave you the wrong impression."

"About what?"

Rhodey rubbed his face with his hands, avoiding facing her at all costs. "Let me ask you this: Do you always tease all guys like you tease me?"

"If I like them, I do."

"So, how come you don't tease Tony or Cap?"

"I do, but not in the same way I tease you. Tony is hot and all –I mean, he's Iron Man, but he's not my type. Plus, he's married to Pepper, and I like Pepper. Steve is just easy to freak out, and it's fun to make him blush. I actually have a bet with Tony that I can make him blush 100 times before my job here ends."

"Really? How is that bet going?"

"49 times to go."

Rhodey could not help to laugh. "OK. So, maybe I'm taking this the wrong way. Do you have a bet with Tony that you will pretend to like me until I crack?"

"No. I just think you're cute."

"Right, sure…of course you do." He chuckled, strongly believing that Tony was behind this charade. "I'll help you with your bet but you have to promise you'll only bother me when Tony can see. He's been teasing the shit out of me, and I'd like him to stop."

"There's no bet about you, Rhodey."

"It's alright; you don't have to lie. I won't get mad."

"There _is_ no bet!"

"Then what? Am I supposed to believe that you actually tease me because you like me?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"I'm sorry, Darcy," Rhodey said after a brief silence. "I don't believe it, and even if it's true, this is not going to happen, so please stop."

"Alright," Darcy said as she hung her head.

xxxXXXxxx

Tony input the code to his and Pepper's room and the door opened wide to show Pepper standing in front of the full-body mirror wearing a black, spandex leotard. Tony closed the door behind him and smiled as he stared at his wife. The sad memory of their almost separation was still present in the back of his mind, but his intention in retaining it was to remind him how much Pepper cared for him.

"Are you practicing for the Olympics?" he joked as he walked up to her. He hugged her from behind and placed a kiss on her cheek, swinging their hips to an inaudible song. "I think you shouldn't go to them; you'll make all the other girls there cry in shame."

Pepper laughed softly and shook her head before she pointed to the Avenger logo on the left side of her chest. Tony's eyes widened in surprise and exhaled in an exaggerated matter. "I know your codename is Ember and all –which I still think it makes you sound like a stripper, but you don't have to reinforce the thought by dressing up as if you're going to audition for the remake of 'All the Single Ladies.'"

Pepper snorted in a very un-lady like way at Tony's comment. She turned around in place and surrounded Tony's neck with her arms, pressing her body against his. "You, Mr. Stark, are acting rather calmly about my new uniform."

"Well, Mrs. Stark, that's only because I can think of other uses we can give to this particular uniform once we're done here. They involve a whip and some gagging, but we can work out the details later."

"Oh, Tony," Pepper threw her head back in laughter, and Tony took the opportunity to lower his head to her neck and placed small kisses over it.

"There are other ways I can make you say my name, you know?"

"Yeah?" Pepper closed her eyes. "I can think of a few myself."

"Really?"

"Mmhhh…" She responded, allowing Tony to continue his exploration until her watch began beeping. "Oh, damn! I've got meet with Steve for training."

"Steve?" Tony asked in between kisses to her face. "I'm sure he's doing the same thing we are doing right now but with Maria rather than by himself."

Pepper pulled away from him and slapped his shoulder with her hand. "That's a terrible thing to say, Tony!"

"What? The man has needs! He was frozen for 70 years; it's WAY overdue." The moment Tony ended her statement, his watch began beeping. "Oh, shit! I'm supposed to meet with Rhodey."

Pepper shrugged. "I think we're both busy, then. How about we continue this later, huh?"

Tony's smile could not have been wider unless it stretched out of his face. "Don't tease, Potts. I'm holding you to it."

"I'm sure are you are, Mr. Stark." Pepper gave a squeeze to Tony's bottom before she all but sprinted toward the door, leaving Tony with a silly look on his face.

"Yup, still got it, Stark."

xxxXXXxxx

Thirty minutes after the supposed start of Rhodey and Tony's training, Tony found himself waltzing inside Coulson's office. At the moment, Jarvis was away in the lab with Selvig, Jane and Darcy, and Agent Sitwell sat in front of Coulson's desk. It was obvious Coulson was assigning tasks to the agent by the fierce scribbling Sitwell was doing on a notepad.

"Can I help you, Stark? Did you forget how to knock?"

"No, but I learned that not knocking pays off." Tony walked toward the middle of the room and looked around. "I actually came looking for Rhodey. Not that I'm telling on him or anything, but he's late for our scheduled training today."

"Why are you looking for him in here?" Coulson asked with a shrug.

"He said he was coming here to pick up his itinerary."

"He did, about an hour ago."

"OK," Tony furrowed his brows, turning then to Agent Sitwell who was avoiding his stare. "Hey, you owe me $25 from the last bet. Cough it up!"

"No, I don't."

"Uh, yeah you do. Come on, pay the piper." Tony opened and closed his hand in Jasper's face.

"Seriously, Stark? You're a billionaire and you're hogging me for twenty-five bucks?" Sitwell asked as he took out his wallet and counted twenty-five one-dollar bills. "Here."

"You know, your humor doesn't _sit well_ with me," he fanned the bills in his face. "Sore loser," he added as he rolled up the cash and put it inside his jeans' pocket.

"Tony, we're kinda of busy here," Coulson said.

"Fine! Fine! If you see Rhodes, tell him he forfeited, so I win."

"I'll make sure that it's added to the _Tony vs. Table_ blog."

"_Blog_? Dammit! Romanoff!" Tony yelled on his way out of Coulson's room.

xxxXXXxxx

Tony closed the door to Natasha's room, disappointed to not have found her laptop inside. He was growing tired of hacking the _Tony vs. Table_ website only for it to be brought back again after only a few days. He had to find where Natasha was storing the backup or his efforts would continue to be in vain.

"I bet Rhodey has the backup," Tony mumbled as he walked toward James' room. He took out the master keycard he had created to access anyone's room in this hall without their consent, and he slid it in the card reader of the General's door. The door beeped when the lock was removed, and Tony wasted no time in opening it.

The two people inside the room stopped in mid-make out, staring at Tony with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Tony's eyes went from the General to Darcy and then returned to Rhodey before he shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Tony said before closing the door once more.

* * *

**A/N:** A big shout-out to _Bella a cuore_ and _breeeezy123_ for reading my mind. What about? Well…I can't spoil it just yet ;) Great minds think alike, though :D. Anyway, we are in the final stretch of this story, everyone. If I'm calculating correctly, we have about six more chapters and an Epilogue left. Thanks to EVERYONE who reads and reviews (especially those who take a moment to leave some feedback). The next marathon might be the last. But, in other news, the end of this story just means the beginning of the sequel for 30 Days. Who's gonna read that one?


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Rhodey nodded in obvious approval of the expensive engagement ring Natasha had just handed to him. The ring was still attached to the ridiculously long necklace as she had been unable to take it off since Clint had handed it to her. She shook her head at the memory of being outsmarted by her partner in crime; she should have known better, and so should he.

"This looks pretty serious to me, Tash."

"You think?" she spat in a sarcastic tone. "This is not right, though. This is not like him."

The General gave Natasha an incredulous look as he handed said jewel back to her. She held onto it in the palm of her hand, staring at it with the same disgust one would glance an overdue credit card bill that amounted in the thousands. Rhodey adjusted his position on the bed so that he sat next to her, their backs propped up against the head of the bed.

"What's bothering you about this? That spies have a secret code where they don't commit to long relationships?"

Natasha squinted her eyes at him, putting back the necklace and ring inside the box. "It's nothing like that…and completely like that at the same time."

"Well, that's not confusing at all," Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Because when a man who is in love with you tells you he does, the appropriate response is to lie about your sexual orientation, and when he proposes marriage to you, the best response is to ignore his question. He's _so_ lucky to have you."

"He didn't ask anything."

"Is that what the problem is? I think the ring speaks for itself."

Natasha placed the closed box on top of her nightstand, where it had been since Barton had surprised her with the gift. She had spent the last two days sleeping in her room with the excuse that she had female problems she needed to deal with for a few days.

"I'm not saying I wouldn't consider his proposition," Natasha rested her head on the headboard, lightly banging against it as she put her words in order in her mind. "It wouldn't be the end of the world to marry Barton."

"I sense a big but coming," Rhodey moved his face to his right to stare at her.

"But…" she began. "Why is he doing this now? I think his heart is in the right place, but for all the wrong reasons."

"Wait," Rhodey's mind suddenly went into overdrive. "Does…he…know?"

Natasha shook her head. "There's nothing to know…Bruce confirmed it. Unless you told him something and now he thinks there is something to know, then no."

"Do you think he suspects?"

"I…" Natasha's lips thinned. "I hadn't considered that," she admitted, recalling the strange conversation that had led to the implied proposal.

"Did he give you any clues that he did?"

Romanoff scratched the top of her head. "Before he _implied it_," she air quoted the last two words, "He was talking about the mission; he asked me what I thought about it. I told him it was a weird one. He asked me to define _weird_. Then we made fun of Tony…"

"Of course; a requirement in this joint," Rhodey agreed.

"Then he said that death is never planned…and that's when I changed the conversation and gave him the handkerchief."

"Did he like it?"

"Of course."

"Told you."

Natasha smirked.

"So," Rhodey adjusted his position again to make his back more comfortable once more. "Why did you say 'no'?"

"I didn't say no."

"Tash, in that kind of situation, anything other than a big loud 'yes' is a big fat 'no' for us guys."

"Whatever," she waved her hand at him. "Anyway, I _withheld_ a response because I don't think he meant to propose anything."

"Why? Because he didn't get down on one knee, asked aloud and then put the ring on your finger?"

"No. I wouldn't expect him to do that."

"So?"

"Did you know that when Tony was hauling that nuke to the portal, he called Pepper?"

Rhodey shrugged. "Yeah, Pepper might have mentioned that, yes. What does it have to do with you shutting down Barton?"

"Why do you think Tony called her?"

"Uhm," Rhodey scratched the back of his neck. "Probably because he thought he was gonna die and…_oh_…" Rhodey flinched. "I see. You think that if the mission wasn't so fucked up, he wouldn't have asked?"

Natasha's silence was the only answer Rhodey needed from her.

"That kinda makes sense, I guess. Doesn't make it any less meaningful, though."

"You think? Maria and Steve are making out behind closets and on top of roofs. Pepper and Tony almost got divorced over his unique hierarchy of personal needs*, you and Darcy are hooking up…He's just doing this because there's a chance one of us may not come back from fighting the Mandarin, whenever that happens."

"So, if we weren't about to go into battle with the Mandarin, you would've said yes?"

"I think the real question is: if we weren't about to go into battle with the Mandarin, would he have even asked?"

"That's a question only he has the answer for, Tash."

_Damn Rhodey for being right_, was the only thought in Natasha's mind.

xxxXXXxxx

_ The air was arid, uncomfortable, it stung. Living in New York and then living in Malibu had made her skin comfortable with extreme humidity and extreme cold weather, but wherever she was right now was neither, and she hated the sensation of it._

_ She opened her eyes slowly, expecting the scorching sun to burn her corneas, but it was only darkness that welcomed her. She raised her hand in front of her face and lit it up, the glow of her inner fire providing if only a dim amount of light. Her eyes followed the traveled path of the now familiar orange-red glow of her skin as the virus that had so marvelous merged with her DNA was called upon to bring some brightness to the desolation that surrounded her until her entire body shone._

_ "Where am I?" she mumbled to herself as she stood up. She patted her body to check for injuries but a moment later she scoffed at her actions. She was Pepper Potts: the oldest carrier of Extremis 2.0 –death was not an option for her._

_ She extended her arms in front of her chest, her palms facing up. Without much effort her hands held perfectly round fireballs, further illuminating a limited space around her. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and her ears perked up for any recognizable sound, but only more silence and darkness welcomed her._

_ She took a cautious step in front of her, making sure with the tip of her toes that there was more ground to hold her weight. After the first watchful step she took another, and another, and one more until her confidence in the solidity of the floor beneath her left her no doubt there was more uncharted road ahead of her. Never in her life had she encountered such a dark place; never had she felt her curse and responsibility fail to bring her resolution to her troubles._

_ "Tony?" was her first loud word, and she was not surprised it had come out without even thinking about it. The man was engrained in her soul, her heart and her mind in a way she never thought possible. Every moment she spent with him was filled with an amalgam of emotions that were difficult to list and describe. Every moment without him was no different with the only exception that she yearned to feel confused by the many emotions he stirred in her once more when his presence was near her._

_ "Anyone here?" She tried to establish some sort of communication but it was unsuccessful once more._

_ She sighed._

_ Pepper closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She hung her head in deep concentration as she called upon the unsolicited burden that coursed through her veins. When her eyes opened again so did her inner blaze, surrounding her in what could only be described as a living human torch. The intensity of her arson powers was so great that for the first time since her wakening she was able to see the structure she was in, if only for a 10-foot radius with her at the center. She took small steps toward the large cylindrical object closest to her, stopping only when she was close enough to read the inscriptions on the wall._

_ She was certain she had never seen the images or unreadable words before, but something tugged in her chest and she swore the déjà vu that hit her was not without reason. Her fingers slid down the foreign language expecting to feel the indentations of the ink but there were one. It was as if the material had been forged with the engravings rooted inside its slick surface._

_ "Where am I?" She asked herself again, and again she had no response. Her feet danced around the cylinder as her fingers continued to trace the pictograms and symbols therein, searching desperately for that much needed answer that eluded her. How had she even gotten where she was, whatever this place was supposed to be?_

_ She looked down to her chest and noticed she was wearing her Avenger uniform, the latest of them all. Her right hand instinctively landed on her Avenger emblem, wondering where her team had gone off to. A sad smile covered her face thinking about them and how after this mission was over she would part ways with them. She had not been aware she had a taste for the superhero duties, and had she never been ridden with the genetic enhancement she would have never truly understood the reason why her husband loved to do what he did: saving the world._

Tony_, she thought once more. Her left hand reached her ear and she felt her earpiece safely tucked inside where it belonged. She tapped the device twice to active its response, speaking loud and clear so that there was no doubt she could be heard. "Ember here, does anyone copy?"_

_ Ember._

_ As much as she hated to admit it, the name had stuck._

_ The only connection she could find between the Mandarin calling her Ember and herself was that she truly was an cinder; a hot coal ready to burn anyone or anything that dared cross her the wrong way. Killian had witnessed that passion first hand, and was now tied to a bed for perhaps the rest of his life, all because he issued a probably empty threat against Tony and her kids. She was certain the poor bastard had this particular lesson learned._

_ Ember._

_ The codename that had been given to her by a villain who had sought to keep her for the sole purpose of fulfilling his needs was now a reflection of her personality in battle. When she was in her home, surrounded by her kids, husband and dog, she was nothing more than Pepper Potts: CEO Extraordinaire. However, the moment the suit came on and she set foot in the battlefield, the mantle of Ember was bestowed on her. She behaved differently, she thought differently; she let herself go. In the back of her mind she would always wonder if Ember had always been there with her, but would have never had a chance to come out and play had Killian not used her to test his serum of regenerative properties in a bottle._

_ What a travesty this was, finding she was more than just an impeccable business suit and stoic façade only when her future had been decided for her. The more days she lived with this virus within her the more she accepted that Tony – despite his bright and beautiful mind – would never be able to find the magic potion, the right combination or permutation of chemical elements, or the enchanted wand hidden in some far away land to free her from the destiny she had not asked for. Granted, no one really asked to be a hero, they just turned into one when the call was made, and she definitely had not seen coming the possibility that one day her connections to Iron Man would leave her with no choice but to accept the responsibilities of one._

_ "HELLO!" She dared to scream as loud as she could as she was not afraid of what might be lurking in the shadows. She had nothing to fear but fear itself; she was protected by the flawless merger of her blood and the disease that now ravished her body with its death grip. Nothing would ever cure her of it; not even her personal genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist._

_ "Dammit," she whispered this time before her search took her past the large graffitied cylinder and deeper into the structure. She did not know how she knew where every door and corner was as she had never been here before, but there was something inside of her that told her how to navigate inside the location she was in. Why had the air felt arid before? She was not out in the open. There was not even the slightest speck of dust!_

_ The continuous walking around aimlessly was getting to her. She wanted to get out and fast. From all the superpowers she could have inherited, why had flying not been one of them? She would have already flown up as high as possible before punching a damn hole the size of Rhode Island for her to make her escape. Now that she thought about it, how come none of the Avengers had the ability to fly?_

_ It seemed the most appropriate to have this ability would have been none other than the Hawk; with a codename like that he was the obvious choice. "BARTON?"_

_ "NATALIE? BRUCE? STEVE? RHODEY? PHIL?"_

_ Not even her own echoed made a response._

_ "That's it, I'm getting out of here!" She said with finality and before her eyes the image of the structure disappeared. Her eyes and head moved from side to side, incredibly confused as to how the prison that had kept her walking around in circles had just suddenly disappeared, as if her simple command had made it so._

_ "I'm dreaming," she concluded. "I just need to wake up."_

_ She pinched the side of her cheek until the skin became red but the dream did not end. Instead, the bright sun that had suddenly appeared was reflecting off the sand beneath her feet; her bare feet._

_ "Didn't I have shoes on just now?"_

_ The hot sand would have surely scalded the bottom of her feet had she not developed a resistance for high temperatures. All this heat and yet she was not able to tan, just burn and peel._

_ She tried to establish communication via her earpiece once again, but the same unsatisfactory result was present. She took out the useless device and threw it behind her when she realized the communicator would not be of much use in a dream._

_ And what a dream this was._

_ Her head almost did a 360-spin as she tried to see beyond the dunes around herself. There was a whole lot of nothing in any direction, and a whole lot of no sign of the structure she had been in just moments before. The moment her lips opened to utter how the entire scenario did not make sense she remembered that dreams made very little of it, if at all._

_ "I just have to wait until Tony wakes me up," she figured. "I just wish I wasn't alone."_

_ And alone she was no longer._

_ In front of her and out of nowhere appeared the skeletal remains of a grand creature for which she had no name. The length of the spine was overwhelming, intimidating even. She walked toward the front of the bones only to find that there was no head, just lines of bones and more bones._

_ "This must end somewhere; it's just has to." She told herself confidently as she continued her trek down what she should probably call the Valley of the Dead._

xxxXXXxxx

After the night's activities, Clint Barton had passed out as soon as his head hit he pillow. He was still concerned about Natasha's strange behavior, and he did not need to be a spy or a mind reader to know it was due to his recent slipup. He had not meant to be so out of character, but the idea of marriage seemed like the logical next step. Well, that was only true if the word logical meant: completely irrational conclusion to a paranoid thought, and a result of the pressure brought on by the dreaded fear the he would die in battle without Natasha knowing how serious he took their relationship.

By this point, he was sure Natasha knew it, but he was glad for small favors and she had at least not slapped him silly (physically or metaphorically) about it just yet. The redhead waited until Barton's breathing evened out to symbolize his mind was well on its way to the REM state. Even then, when she was absolutely certain he was completely conked out she waited for a few minutes before she stood up from the bed, picked up her robe to cover her nude body and walked inside the bathroom inside his dwelling.

She locked the door behind her and again held her breath waiting for Barton to ask where she went. He knew his recent insecurity-ridden actions were just a natural reaction to the silent rejection of his proposal for marriage. Technically, she told herself every time, she had not truly rejected him – she had just put off answering him for a long time.

When she heard no more sounds coming from the bedroom she walked up to her cosmetics bag –which was not large as one would have expected from a woman – and unzipped it. Carefully and with the least amount of noise possible she searched for the contraption that would prove to her, once and for all, if the protection they had both used during their heated encounters had been for naught. Ten tests she had taken so far: five had come up positive, and five had come up negative.

It truly was a toss-up; just like their fate in battle.

After much researching, she had found an in-home, blood pregnancy test that was accessible only to the very privileged as to prevent the news of an unwanted pregnancy to spread around. She was not in the ranks of Tony Stark to expect access to the device, but she was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. What they wanted, they got.

She knew she should have waited until much later on tomorrow, when she was secured in her room while Clint worked out Phil's crazy routine, but the idea was nerve-wracking. She could feel a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, as if she was suddenly the representative of God on Earth and was being told in some holy way that the Apocalypse was coming to all.

She was not even the religious type, but the fact that she could sense something bad happening very soon scared her to her very core. This same feeling had made her lie to Rhodey, telling him Bruce had given her the clear even thought Bruce had never been asked for help in the first place.

She unpacked the test and held it in one hand while the box was firmly grabbed onto in the other. She refused to turn on the light in the bathroom, so she was using the very small light that came from the candle she loved to leave on in the facilities at night. She had begun attending Phil-mandated meditation sessions with Bruce, and the smell of the sandalwood he used to relax during these meetings had grown on her; she now had to have it everywhere.

The print on the box was small, and after a few pressing moments she was able to understand the gist of how the test worked. It was very similar to a blood sugar test for a diabetic, with the difference that she had to wait 3 minutes for the results to appear. What had happened to instant gratification in these types of life-altering tests?

Then again, instant gratification with Barton was what had led her to be taking these tests at all.

She used the tip of the device to puncture a small hole in her finger and pressed onto the flesh so that the needed amount of blood fell inside the middle compartment. Once the device was filled to capacity, she placed it on the sink and began counting in her head the 180 seconds it would take for her to find out if she and Barton would be left with no choice but to quit S.H.I.E.L.D.

Never before had she been interested in the policies for pregnant agents, and had she not been in this situation, she would had never known such guidelines ever existed. If 'better late than never' did not have a double meaning for her, she would have agreed that such a saying was appropriate for her at the moment.

xxxXXXxxx

Tony felt his wife stir next to him, and for a moment the memories of his own bad nights returned. He slowly twisted in place to stare at Pepper who was mumbling something unintelligible in her sleep, her head snapping left and right as if she were flinching away from an invisible force.

_Invisible force?_ Tony thought, the idea not frightening enough until he remembered that invisible forces were lurking in the shadows of their past. He called her name, shaking her shoulder even though he knew better than to wake up someone in the middle of a nightmare with such a technique. Pepper's eyes remained closed so he tried once more but to no avail. Whatever Pepper was dreaming had captured her inside her mind, and refused to give her up.

"Honey, wake up. Pep, it's just a dream."

She slapped his hand away when he tried to shake her once more, and it was then he felt how hot her skin was to the touch. Avoiding the random flailing of her arms, his hand found her forehead, and it was covered in sweat and hot enough to cook eggs. He knew Pepper had a high tolerance for body heat, but it still worried him that one day the virus would fail her and allow her brain to cook inside her skull.

"Pepper, open your eyes. It's me, Tony."

Pepper did not respond and continued to moan.

xxxXXXxxx

_Her feet were digging inside the sand, absorbing her with every struggle she made in an attempt to escape, but she could not stop the holes underneath her from swallowing her whole. One moment she had been standing in front of the giant skeleton head of a dinosaur-like animal, staring down at old and rusty rings, and now she was fighting to remain atop of the sand._

_ "Tony!" She managed to scream despite the sand in her mouth. This was supposed to be dream! Was she not supposed to be up by now? Was Tony not hearing her pleas for help? "TONY!" She tried again, louder this time, but the extra effort in opening her mouth wide only allowed more sand to come inside her lungs._

_ She was going to die._

I can't die! I won't die_, she told herself and began heating up the sand around her. Had she been thinking straight she would have not done so; heated sand turned to glass. Now there was not only sand attacking her, but shards of glass as well._

_ Shards of glass under her feet._

_ Shards of glass on her skin._

_ Shards of glass forming inside her mouth and throat._

_ The blood did not take long to appear, and she began trying to cough it up. How did one cough up glass without breaking the skin within? It was impossible; just plain impossible._

_ "Ember," a voice came from somewhere around her. "Ember, breathe."_

I can't breathe_, she spat in her mind. _I can't breathe at all!

_"Yes, you can…you can breathe, if you will yourself to."_

_ Pepper closed her eyes and concentrated on controlling her dream. She had done it before, going from inside the structure to outside. Oh, how she preferred the darkness of the building rather than the sand outside!_

_ She felt her body relax and slide deeper into the sand. She was not going anywhere else, but at least the pain was now gone. She was dying, she knew, but at least this would enable her to wake up from this terrible nightmare, she hoped._

_ "Tony…can you hear me?"_

_ "He can't hear you. No one can. The time has come for you to return home. Return home to fulfill the reason for your life."_

_ "The reason for my life?" she mumbled even though her mouth was filled with sand. "The reason for my life is my kids, Tony…"_

_ "No. Those are just obstacles. Come home and you will find out the truth. The truth of why you have been chosen for greatness."_

_ "Chosen? Home? Where to?"_

_ "Home," the voice repeated. "Home in…"_

xxxXXXxxx

_178, 179…_

Her hand grabbed the test, and the alarm went off.

"Dammit," Natasha whispered. She could already hear Clint out in the bedroom, struggling to find his discarded clothes on the floor.

_"Tasha! You hear that?"_ He called over the blaring alarm. Was he joking? How could she not hear it? Her eyes were squinting with the intensity of the sound! The loud tap on the door made her jump and drop the test to the floor. She had not even had the chance to read the results yet, and the fragile device was now scattered in pieces on the floor.

"In a minute!" She called out as she dropped to her knees and began trying to get all the pieces together. The seconds felt like hours, and again she heard Clint knocking on the door.

_"Are you alright?"_

"Yeah, just…I was in the middle of something…" She immediately flinched at how compromising that must have sounded coming from the bathroom. She groaned when the constant on and off of the alarm made her search more difficult, so she did the only thing she could think off when pressed for time: she shoved the broken device onto a corner and dropped a towel on them.

Hopefully, she would be able to come back to clean up before Clint walked in.

xxxXXXxxx

The alarm went off, startling Tony out of his attempt to wake up Pepper, the sound so loud he thought his ears were going to pop. His hands flew from Pepper to the sides of his face. The ruckus could have woken up the dead, but for some reason Pepper's eyes were still closed. He clumsily stood up from the bed and ran to her side, alternating between covering his ears and stirring Pepper who was still deep in sleep.

"Pepper! Wake up! Something happened! The emergency alarm went off!"

Outside, Tony could hear the sound of opening and closing doors. It would be soon that some agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. would all but take down his door to get them to come out. He knew the protocol, and while he did not know specifically what the alarm was for, he knew it was for something bad; something terribly bad.

"PEPPER! WAKE UP!" He yelled again as he reached for his wireless earpiece and stuck it inside where it belonged. "Jarvis!" Tony screamed over the sound of chaos around him. "What the fuck is going on?"

_"Finding out, sir."_

Pepper's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she sat up on the bed, seemingly unaware of the siren going off. He did not waste any more time as he did not know how much time they truly had, so he pulled Pepper off the bed. She held onto the sides of his bare torso; the only thing covering him were his pajama pants.

_"Sir, I have been notified of the reason for the alarm,"_ Jarvis said into the earpiece. _"It appears we have a protocol 7.85."_

"What the hell is that?" Tony asked staring down at a dazed Pepper.

_"It's Aldrich Killian, sir. He has disappeared from his medical room. He's gone."_

"Gone? Where did he go to?"

"The Valley of Spirits," Pepper said, staring up at Tony. "He's gone to the Valley of Spirits. He's gone home."

* * *

**A/N: * **I got this idea from a picture I saw on Tumblr with a _Pepperony_ tag. The picture was about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Tony Stark's version, with "Pepper's Safety" as his most basic need, at the very bottom of the pyramid, right below inherent biological needs such as food and oxygen. Totally cute, so I put in that sentence to reflect the picture. Thank you all for the encouraging reviews :)


	32. Chapter 31

**A/N: Warning: Have a box of tissues handy.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 31**

After two hours of everyone searching the base, the conference room was filled again with the presence of the Avengers team. The impromptu meeting had been called immediately after it was determined that Killian had in fact disappeared from his hospital room, albeit the cause, reason and manner in which he had escaped were still unknown. Now that the adrenaline was leaving them, most of the group of superheroes felt as they looked: like shit.

Phil was the only one up and about –no pun intended – pressed suit and all, but his red eyes betrayed his indifferent face. Even the always-ready Nick Fury was less than presentable with a black robe covering his sleeping outfit. Maria was wearing pajama shorts and a sleeveless shirt, her hair tied up in a messy bun. She kept blinking to try and keep her eyes moistened despite the annoying light of the laptop's screen.

"I didn't know you wore glasses," Steve, who sat next to her, stated.

"I usually wear contacts," she responded, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes vigorously. "I take them off to sleep," she added as she placed the corrective lenses back on her face and continued to narrow down the length of the video feed they were about to analyze of Killian's room.

Rogers was in no better shape himself, wearing only a pair of sweats, his leather jacket with no shirt, and socks. He suddenly felt pressure on his right shoulder and he looked down to see Darcy's head finding a soft spot on his arm. The poor grad student's hair was all over the place, her glasses resting on her lap. She was exhausted, and she had definitely not expected the emergency alarm to go off in the early hours of the morning; no one had.

Steve's eyes looked up to stare at Rhodey rubbing his face and lightly slapping his cheek to stay awake. It was then that James realized Darcy was falling off the chair as her body relaxed, so he patted her knee with care. "Darcy, wake up."

The woman's eyes snapped open and she looked up to see Steve's polite smile. "Sorry," she mumbled to him as she ironed out Steve's leather jacket with her hand. "Wrong shoulder," she added before she changed her left-leaning position to a right-leaning one and rested her head on Rhodey's arm. The General noticed how she hugged herself to protect her body from the cold air in the room. Her cami pajama set included a pair of pants, but the tight and rather revealing top she wore left her exposed to the chill. Rhodey carefully pried her off his shoulder. Her confused look disappeared when she noticed Rhodey taking off his robe and handing it to her.

"Thanks," she whispered to him before she slid into the Rhodey-scented clothing item and rested her head on his arm once more. Rhodey, the ever-ready former Air Force General was the most presentable of all after Coulson, with a t-shirt, pajama pants, socks, slippers and even a concealed handgun on his waist. His eyes traveled to his right where Natasha patted the table with nervous fingers.

She had tied her hair in a ponytail, and she had on the same ensemble she had worn yesterday, the reason for which was painfully obvious to everyone. At least she was back to sleeping in Clint's room again. Her outfit consisted of workout pants, a sports bra, and tennis shoes. The only item that did not complement her person at the moment was the wrist gauntlets she typically only wore to a fight. Her eyes traveled from her restless hands to Clint who sat to her right at the rounded end of the table.

He was also wearing his clothes from yesterday, which consisted of a white undershirt, sweat pants, and tennis shoes. His trusty bow rested on his lap and his pack of arrows was still attached to his back. Second to Phil, he was the one that looked the most wide awake by now, especially when a cup of coffee was placed in front of him.

Barton looked behind him and saw Jarvis in the Mark XLIV. He was carrying a tray of cups and had begun handing them out to everyone, one-by-one. Jane, who sat next to Clint, accepted the coffee with a smile, a blanket surrounding her shoulders. "Thank you, Jarvis."

"My pleasure, Doctor Foster."

Selvig took the cup that Jarvis was offering him, and was surprised to see that a stick of cinnamon floated inside the liquid. It was no shock that Jarvis was observant, but Erik had never thought that the AI would resort to storing in his database the specs of how everyone liked their coffee. The simplest one was Darcy's, as everyone had learned how she liked hers.

Bruce was also mostly decently dressed; sitting at the end of the row to Fury's left. Used to being on the run, he was the only one wearing jeans rather than pajama or sweat pants, but his shirt was unbuttoned and untucked on top of his undershirt. Jarvis continued to hand out their cups to everyone, to which Tony groaned but accepted his cup nonetheless.

"J, you're not our butler 'round here. Sit down."

"I am aware of that fact, sir, but I did say I would assist in any way I could. Your human bodies are in awful need of rest but given the present situation, it is obvious you will not be able to fulfill that basic need any time soon."

Pepper, who wore one of Tony's shirts, her pajama shorts, and no socks, grabbed the cup offered by Jarvis but did not sip into it. Her mind was still very much enthralled in the dream she had just had hours ago. The only time her eyes left the spot on the table they were glued to was when she felt the chair next to her move when Jarvis took his seat. "Thank you, Jarvis," she whispered to him before returning her attention to the steaming cup.

"Maria, is the video ready?" Phil asked with a rather impatient tone. "The longer we take, the farther he's going to be."

Maria nodded but bit her tongue to not snap back at Coulson. She knew he was right, but her eyes were closing on her, preventing her from working faster, plus she was yet to update the prescription in her glasses, making it difficult to read the screen. Tony took a sip of his coffee before staring directly at Phil.

"Hey, do you even sleep, Coulson?"

"I don't know what 'sleep' is," the agent retorted without missing a beat. The billionaire shrugged in response before his eyes then darted to Steve as he stood up from the chair just enough to adjust his pants and uncomfortable leather jacket on his bare skin.

"Are you wearing those American flagged boxers, Rogers?"

The slight tint of red on Steve's face quickly disappeared when the lights turned off and the far wall behind Fury lit up to show the wallpaper of Maria Hill's laptop. "Alright, here's the feed from the room," she said as she pressed the play button on the screen. The video showed Killian resting on the bed for a few seconds before the light flickered, the screen went dark for half a second, and when the image returned Killian was gone.

"Poof!" Fury said, shaking his head. "Banner? You see anyone?"

"Replay it for me," Bruce asked from Maria and leaned over the table, adjusting his glasses as close to his eyes as he could before shaking his head. "There's nothing there. Jane?"

"I'm on it," Doctor Foster said as she pulled up her tablet and connected to the server to pull up the analysis tools they had used before. A minute later the images showed the gamma radiation appearing on screen in the form of a human shape right before the lights had flickered, and then disappeared with Killian in the next frame.

"How the fuck is this man getting inside with no one seeing him?" Fury's fists hit the table, which caused Darcy to snap open her eyes. She instinctively looked up at Rhodey thinking he had been the one to stir her awake, but when he shook his head at her she straightened her back and rubbed her face with her hands.

_So much for napping_, she thought bitterly.

"How is it that no one saw him leave? I'm getting tired of this magic bullshit."

"It's not magic, sir," Phil corrected is superior. "It's just science we don't understand just yet."

"Well, we need to understand it if we are going to find out where he went."

"Valley of Spirits," Pepper said in a low voice. All eyes went from staring at Fury to staring at her, and it was then that Tony remembered his wife's unsettling sleep. "That's where he went. That's where we need to go."

One look from Fury toward Maria was all it took for the Deputy Director to bring up an online map. Everyone's eyes stared at the screen as Hill dexterously searched for such a location, but nothing came up on the map. After another moment of searching, Pepper turned to Maria to address her in a soft voice.

"China. Pull up a map of China. I'll tell you where it is."

"How do you know where it is?" Rhodey asked, worried of the answer she might have for them.

"I saw it in a dream."

Tony swallowed hard, looked away from Pepper and stared at a knowing Bruce. The words of Killian lingered in the air_: "It was metaphorical. She will go there herself, without knowing what awaits her, but only when she's ready."_

It was finally here.

Tony watched Pepper stand up from her chair and walk up to large image of the map of China on the wall. Her eyes wandered throughout the screen until her finger circled a portion of the desert area of the mainland. "Here," she said. "This is where he went."

The map imagery changed from simple cartography to an actual satellite image. The area Pepper had pointed to was as empty as the inside of the Mark XLIV commanded by Jarvis, but Pepper's resolve did not falter.

"It's there; we just need to find it."

"What's there?" Selvig asked.

"Home."

Tony looked away from the screen, closed his eyes and exhaled. The moment of truth was coming, and he could only hope he could be the man Pepper needed him to be.

xxxXXXxxx

After calibrating the satellites and running analysis on the images, Jane and Selvig were able to find the same patterns of radiation disturbance they had found on the Doppler radar pictures during the Congo mission. This was all the proof they needed to accept Pepper's claim that the location of the Mandarin, or at least the location of Killian's whereabouts, was somewhere in the vicinity of the desert in China.

The team had decided to make their way there in three days, giving them enough time to complete the final preparations for the fight that awaited them. They had sent a couple of unmanned Quinjets to review the area, but other than some eerie looking electromagnetic radiation readings, the scouts had brought no other relevant information with them. As such, Darcy, Erik and Jane were hard at work designing portable and non-obstructive devices the Avengers could take in their mission to find the greatest concentration of gamma rays, which they hoped would pinpoint the location of the Mandarin's lair.

The team of scientist had also been tasked with equipping a Quinjet with any and all required devices they would need on board to assist the pilot – Maria Hill, with monitoring the scene from the skies. Fury would join the vicinity of the area on the Hellicarrier, and Coulson and Jarvis would stay behind to coordinate the efforts on base.

Tony and Bruce also had a task of their own: upgrading Rhodey and Tony's suits to withstand high levels of electromagnetic waves. The science brothers figured that if the Mandarin relied on the spectrum to use his attacks, they both had a better chance at surviving if they were somewhat able to diminish the effects on the suits.

Survive.

_Survival._

That was the word of the day.

The job of the Avengers was to ensure the continued survival of the innocent people on Earth by restoring peace in any way they could; however, who ensured the survival of the team itself? No one truly could.

Natasha had returned to Barton's bathroom to find housecleaning had already picked up the remnants of her pregnancy test, and she dared not attempt one more test with the day of the final battle so close. There was no time, and there was no way she would let the situation get in the way of embarking into the combat with Clint. He was not taking on this fight alone. Both assassins knew they were no real match for the mutants they would face, but kicking back and watching without action was not their style.

In the training room, Steve and Pepper sat in the fighting ring, silent and motionless rather than engaging in a fight as they were scheduled to be. Neither of them had much to do to get ready for a mission as Steve only needed his shield, and Pepper only needed her uniform. As soon as they had walked inside the gym there had been a silent agreement between them that the heaviness of their thoughts weighed down too much on their ability to concentrate on training, thus they found themselves in deep thought, sitting side by side.

Steve's thoughts were on Maria, who had insisted on being present during the mission despite his vocal disapproval of such. Maria had no powers other than her ability to rein the agency that was S.H.I.E.L.D., but he knew project management and leadership skills did not help with fighting human furnaces. He also knew she was not a damsel in distress either, but if fighting Extremis soldiers was a difficult task even for him, what hope did Maria have in defending herself from them if he were not around?

Pepper's thoughts were not far from Steve's, but her own worry lay on Tony. Every step taken since Fury had walked into their newly rebuilt Malibu home to talk to her about the Avengers initiative had led to this moment; this moment where her kids were locked up in a cabin in Colorado, away from their loving parents. A moment where she wanted to sedate Tony, tie him up and hide him inside one of the lockers in the gym room, away from the danger that was going to befall them all. She knew it was just wishful thinking, and that if Tony had the option to do that to her, he would do it in heartbeat.

"No sense in sitting here doing nothing, right, Pepper?" Steve asked after his eyes noticed that an hour had passed since they had walked inside the room. Pepper gave Steve a small smirk and nodded, both of them standing up from the floor without much effort.

"Nope, not all." She surprised Steve when her arms surrounded him in a tight embrace, as if she were about to say goodbye for a very long time. After the shock wore off, Steve hugged her in return, running his hands up and down her back.

"Listen to Tony, Pepper." He whispered to her.

"Which part?"

"The smartest thing he has ever said: Don't do anything stupid."

Pepper closed her eyes but did not respond, cursing inside at realizing her defeated attitude shone so brightly, even the naive Captain America could read her intentions as easily as he already had.

xxxXXXxxx

The night before the team was scheduled to leave had finally arrived. The bags, supplies and weapons were packed. The jets fueled up to capacity. The silent prayers had been said, and the final logistics had been dealt with. The ticking clock would not stop for them tonight, but instead reminded them of the war ahead. Despite all their worries and doubts, the team refused to spend their last night of peace mulling over the impending doom. They refused to go down without a fight even outside the fields of battle.

For all these reasons –and some personal ones – Maria and Steve sat on the landing in their favorite communications tower. A blanket covered the roughed concrete floor, and on top of it laid two plates with food. In between the plates rested a borrowed sandalwood candle from Bruce and behind the plates sat the two agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook, Maria."

"I don't get much of a chance with a 24-hour kitchen around here, but I do have my hidden talents."

"Hidden talents? This is amazing! It's like restaurant food!"

"That's because it is."

Steve's fork in his hand stopped midway from his plate to his mouth. "I thought you said you made it yourself?"

"I did. I used to be a chef…or, at least went to school for it. Didn't finish."

"Cooking school, huh? I can see it. Is that what you plan on doing when you leave S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Maria shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"I think you'd be great at it." Steve said with an honest tone, which caused Maria to smile. He rarely had the chance to see her smile like this, without a care in the world, so he always mentally patted himself on the back when he was able to be the cause of joy for her.

"What do you plan to do after you leave?"

"I honestly don't know. This is all I know. I don't think I'd make it anywhere else."

"You could become a Military Academy instructor," she offered before sipping on her wine. "I think you'd be great at it," she quoted him.

"As long as no one asks me to autograph questionable body parts…" He offered, knowing the comment would bring another smile to her face. When it did, Steve laughed with her, and when the laughter stopped he raised his wine glass to her. "To the best chef on the West Coast," he toasted.

"To the best Military Academy instructor in the field," she retorted before clinking their glasses together and sipping the rest of their wine.

xxxXXXxxx

Darcy sat on her bed, her back against the headboard and her legs stretched out in front of her on the mattress. On her lap rested Rhodey's head, facing the television they had snuck in from the cafeteria, his body resting comfortably on the bed. Their rooms were wired for television but none of them had even considered bringing one with them, so when Darcy had suggested _borrowing_ one from the common room, Rhodey had only thought about it for two seconds before Darcy was already climbing onto the wall to disconnect the plug from the wall outlet. The rest had led them to popping popcorn and putting it inside a bowl that now rested on Rhodey's chest.

A quick call to Jarvis had allowed Tony's movie storage repertoire to be streamed to the television, and what was supposed to be one movie had turned into a marathon. They both knew they had to go to bed soon as they would be up and about in less than five hours, but neither seemed to care at the moment. It had been a while since Rhodey had had some female company, and he had almost forgotten how good it felt to have someone to talk to other than Happy, Rhodey and Pepper.

"See that bitch right there?" Darcy pointed a popcorn-filled hand toward the screen. "She's cheating on her fiancé with almost every penis around."

"What?"

"Yeah! She's only marrying him because it looks good on her and she wants her dad to stop complaining that she isn't married, but her whoring is gonna get her killed."

"Dacs," Darcy smiled at Rhodey's term of endearment toward her. "Why are you making me watch this movie if you're gonna keep spoiling it for me?"

"I'm sorry. It's just so good I can't help myself."

"If I didn't know any better and judging by the theme of this movie, I'd say you have a thing for Bruce."

"What?"

"Well, you keep saying he sees dead people and constantly state how cool you think that is, and now you're making me watch a movie about a woman who can read cards and see the future?"

"And from that you think I like Bruce better than you? I think you're jealous, General Rhodes." She threw a handful of popcorn into her mouth, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"Maybe I am," he whispered.

Darcy's shrugged as her hand reached down to the popcorn bowl one more time but it never made it there. Instead, she felt Rhodey's hand grip hers, forcing her to look down at him. "What?" she asked him.

"Why aren't you staying here?"

"What do you mean 'why?' I'm part of the team, right? The team is going to the Valley of Ghouls, so I'm going there, too."

"Spirits," Rhodey corrected her. "Valley of Spirits."

"Potato-potatoe." She said with a tilt of her head. Her eyes then returned to the screen and even though her hand had intended to grab a helping of the snack, for now she was content to leave it in between Rhodey's hands.

"Stay," he said after a long silence. "Stay here."

"You're really not dropping this, are you?" She looked down at him again. "You aren't even paying attention to the movie."

"I've seen it before."

"Really?" she was taken aback. "Then why did you agree to watch it?"

"Because you wanted to."

She had not felt the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach in a long time. "Oh," was all she said.

"I'm serious, Darcy. This is not a game; it's a mission, a war. You don't belong there at all."

"And you do?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Darcy exhaled. "I know you think I don't know what this is, but I do, and the last time I stayed behind when someone I cared about went to a warzone, he didn't come back."

"_He_? Old boyfriend?" James asked with a slight hint of jealousy and a fear of finding out he was just serving as a replacement for some dark memory of Darcy's past.

"My dad. He was in the Marines."

"Oh. I…I'm sorry, Dacs."

"I was sixteen; it was a long time ago. Couldn't go even if I wanted to."

"Just because you can go somewhere, it doesn't mean you should," he offered, knowing where her train of thought was leading them.

"And just because you know you should do something, it doesn't mean you have to do it. I'm going, Jim. I'm a big girl. I've got my big girl pants on."

"I guess you do," he said knowing he was not going to change her mind. His eyes returned to the screen, and the bowl of popcorn was forgotten by both, their hands opting to remain linked as they watched the movie continue its already known plot.

xxxXXXxxx

Knowing a billionaire had its perks, and when Tony had handed Clint the reservation slip for the most elegant and expensive restaurant in downtown Malibu, Barton had found it difficult to refuse, especially after Stark had added the further incentive of putting anything and everything on his tab. When Barton had asked Tony why the sudden offer was being extended to him, Tony had only shrugged and had said to consider it a thank you for helping Pepper when she seized the first time.

_"You took care of my woman; now go take care of yours," _he had added as he threw the keys of his convertible toward the archer.

Natasha had been reluctant to go and spend the night on Tony's dime, but after realizing that he owed her for all the shit she had to put up with from him for so long, she decided to accept Barton's invitation. Besides, it was not as if they would get a chance to go out like this for a long time, if ever again.

The valet approached him with a wide smile, expecting to see the billionaire come out of the clearly labeled vehicle. His smile faltered only a little when it was someone else coming out of the car instead. "Don't scratch it," Hawkeye said as he handed the man the keys. "I have to return it like I stole it from Stark's parking lot."

The smile on Barton's face was the only indication that he was joking, and the only reason why the attendant did not call the police on him. He watched in awe as the archer walked around the car to an already waiting Romanoff and offered his arm to her. With a light smirk she accepted it and they walked inside the establishment as if they owned the place.

They were immediately seated in the farthest corner of the restaurant where only the VIP guests were allowed to go. Having been on countless assignments as a wealthy couple, the Widow and the Hawk had no trouble playing the part until they were left alone in the dim room. Natasha wore a red dress she had borrowed from Pepper, and Clint wore a tuxedo he had borrowed from the endless wardrobe used for undercover missions.

"So, _Ninja Chick_," Barton joked once they waiter had left after taking their orders. "What do you think? Should we apply for jobs at Stark's company?"

Natasha threw her head back in laughter. "I'd rather spend the rest of my life wiping windshields than working for SI again, _Arrow Dude_, but I have to admit this place _is _nice."

"I heard the wine is very good, too. I'll order us some later on," he said absentmindedly before he amended his statement. "Don't worry; it's just a toast, not a proposal toast. No engagement ring in your glass." His eyes traveled down her collar where the necklace he had given her lay, but without the ring at its end. "You look very nice, Nat."

"I have my days."

Their conversation was placed on hold when the waiter returned with their appetizers before he was gone as quickly as he had appeared. Natasha picked up the salad fork and showed it to Clint so that he would know which one to use.

"A fork is a fork, a spoon is a spoon, and a knife is a knife. Why do we get so many for just one person?"

"They have different uses, Barton. No need to show off your Wildman skills right now. I already know they're there."

Clint scoffed. "And you don't need to show off your elite society skills, Romanoff. I already know I'm a peasant and you're the queen."

Natasha laughed again. "'Of everything,' you forgot to add."

"Of everything," he said, "and me."

Natasha's smile faded and Clint knew he had again said the wrong thing. "Sorry," he apologized.

"No, don't. I need to get used to that, right?"

Clint shrugged. "Only if you intend to be around long enough to get used to it."

Natasha's fingers played with her necklace as she stared away from him. She breathed deeply and her eyes found his attentive ones again. They remained silent for a while, their food untouched, until Natasha spoke once more.

"Can you read my mind, Clint?"

"I'm afraid to do it right now."

Natasha regarded her plate, her salad no longer looking as appetizing as before. Her hands went under the table to open her purse and from it she pulled the ring he had given her days ago. She extended her left hand, palm up, wiggling her fingers to invite his hand to lay on hers. He hesitated for a moment but in the end he did what she wanted him to do; he always did.

With her free hand she placed the ring in his hand before she closed it for him and kept it in place with her own. She could see the look of disappointment that plagued his eyes despite how much he wanted to pretend it did not hurt. She waited until he was able to stare at her again before she spoke.

"After this…_when_ we come back, and if you're still up to it, ask me again. Ask me again and I _promise _the answer won't be a 'no.'"

The Hawk nodded, understanding what she meant and that their misunderstanding was now cleared up. He pulled her hands to his face and kissed them once, the gesture sending shivers down her spine.

"I'll hold you to that," he finally said as the waiter arrived with their food.

xxxXXXxxx

"So, Jane's dad calls me in the middle of the night and says: 'Hey, do you have some cash I can borrow?" Erik said, barely able to contain his laughter. "And I ask: 'Yeah, why? How much?' And he said: 'About 50 grand, that's how big my bail is!'"

"He didn't!" Coulson said, enjoying the conversation more than he had thought he would. "What did you do?"

"I'm gonna guess your college fund, if any, didn't have that amount of money?" Bruce suggested, noticing Jane was covering her face at the embarrassing stories Selvig was telling of her father. She was not upset by the story-telling by any stretch of the imagination, but it never ceased to amaze her, the things her father did when young.

"Obviously," Selvig agreed. "But my dad knew the Sheriff, so when we explained to him that he hadn't expected to blow up the lab of the University and was just doing his homework, they let him go with a warning."

"I wish I'd known this sooner, Erik!" Jane threw her hands in the air. "The time I nearly blew up our garage with my science fair experiment in high school he almost screamed my head off!"

"Well, he knew what could have happened if you had, so I can't blame him for it."

"Jeez, stick together, you guys."

"That's what we do. Hey! Have I told you about the time your father pretended to be a lifeguard at the community pool even though he didn't know how to swim?"

"What?"

"Yeah, that's how he met your mother."

"Oh, brother."

"I want to know," Bruce stated, earning him the nod of Coulson who also wanted to hear another story of what a normal person's life could be. Perhaps Jarvis' advice was to be taken into consideration. AI or not, Jarvis had a point.

xxxXXXxxx

The engine roared to a stop into familiar territory, and Pepper instantly knew where Tony had parked the car. She had been here herself not long ago, but under completely different circumstances – circumstances she did not wish to relive at the moment. This time, however, there was hardly any walking involved to near their destination; Tony had made sure there was an easier road to take to their place and thus her eyes fell upon the location almost immediately after leaving the car.

This had been planned alright; the conditions of the small patch of land screamed it so. The fire in the middle was already cackling in all its glory. The tent was up and ready and the small iPod docking station awaited Tony's device he had in his pocket. Pepper had thought dinner was the only thing he had planned for this evening, but she should have known better; she should _really_ know better by now.

He led her as close to the fire pit as possible before he took out his iPod and plugged it in the portable speaker system. He walked back to her and as he waited for the music to start, he pulled her closer to him, hands on her waist and eyes on hers. "I know it's late, sweetheart but: Happy engagement anniversary."

Pepper smiled at him, resting her hands on his chest and leaning to his face to kiss him briefly. "Happy engagement anniversary, Tony."

Now she understood why he had insisted she wore a white dress tonight. Once the song began playing in the background, they both closed their eyes and their faces touched. She allowed Tony to lead their slow motions, her smile growing wider when he began singing into her ear.

"Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there's no one else above you?" He kissed her cheek, and continued his subtle singing which she truly enjoyed. This had been the song for their first dance as husband and wife; it had been a long time since they had danced like this, or to this song.

"You fill my life with laughter, and somehow you make it better; ease my troubles that's what you do," he continued before he took advantage of the bridge of the song to twirl her around in place. When she completed her spin his hand reached inside his pocket, and he took out the recently arrived rings that had been lost in the Congo mission. Without looking away from her eyes he slid them both at the same time onto her left ring finger as he continued his gruff singing to her.

"There's a love that's divine, and it's yours and it's mine like the sun. And at the end of the day, we should give thanks and pray to the one, to the one," he pressed his mouth on hers, softly and tenderly until the song ended. They remained silent for a while longer, their hips swaying to the next song. This time Tony did not sing, but whispered his current thoughts into her ear.

"We're coming back from this, Pepper. I _swear_ to you on my parents' grave that I'm bringing you back with me; _alive_."

Pepper's response to his self-appointed duty was to pull on his tie and lead him to the privacy of the tent behind them.

* * *

**A/N:** This marks the end of this weekend's marathon, and the end of the last moments of peace for our favorite team of superheroes. I think next weekend might be the last marathon, and I'm not touching this story until then. I owe my very patient writer I'm beta-ing for (inque28's story: "And they lived happily…" Go read, fun as hell!) about four or five chapters of her story, so I'll be working on those instead. I hope this marathon pleased you, and don't forget to mark your calendars for the last stretch of this story :) Until then!


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

The imposing Helicarrier navigated the skies in all its impassive glory, slowly shifting to its stealth mode after its commander's orders. Director Fury and a large group of his most prominent agents were all grouped together in the same aircraft the Hulk had once almost plummeted to the nothingness of the oceans below them. The feeling of déjà vu that lingered in the air did not escape the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was New York all over again. However, this time instead of fighting aliens, his team was fighting human furnaces –mutants, which would be more likely to burn you to ash rather than die in the hands of the heroes; and instead of a crazy, spoiled, cast-out god, they were fighting an even crazier, full-of-himself terrorist who seemingly possessed magical powers. The only noticeable difference between the battle of New York and this particular one was that they had no fucking clue what else awaited them in the middle of the Chinese desert, other than what a bad dream from Pepper had shown them. The intel on the mission was so poor and blurry it made Fury's face contort in anger at the thought.

_We can't wait any longer_, the veteran told himself. _We can't wait to get intel; we must strike now._

He held the grips of his station tightly, inhaling slowly and deeply. He was getting too old for this shit and he knew it. The bells of retirement were loudly resounding in his head, and if he knew leaving his current post would not leave many of his closest followers at the mercy of the short-sighted World Security Council, he would be relaxing on a lounge chair, sipping from a damned coconut on some secluded beach right now. Well, at least the sand was present in his current location; no water for a million miles was visible, but there was a whole fucking lot of sand.

His left hand reached his earpiece and he tapped it twice to signal his outgoing message to his team. "Hill, report."

_"We're almost ready, sir,"_ The Deputy Director retorted almost immediately as if she had been on standby mode waiting for her superior's inquiry. He liked Maria Hill despite their constant clashing of ideas. If he ever found a way to guarantee the Council would not twist her arm into doing what they thought was best, he would gladly leave her the position she had worked her ass off to obtain.

"Estimated time?"

_ "T-minus five minutes, Director Fury."_

"Very well. Good luck to you; _all _of you. Fury out."

Fury closed his eyes; he could already feel the headache clawing its way to his brain. It was going to be a long day; a very, very, _very_ long day.

xxxXXXxxx

Maria stood near the pilot seat, electronic tablet in hand. Her fingers resembled the rhythmic motions of an orchestra director, and had the music they were playing not been one of imminent disaster and annihilation she would have swayed her hips to the tune. She had already tripled-checked their inventory, but she knew one final check would not hurt. Even though the Helicarrier would be about a twenty-minute fly from ground zero (at normal speed), both she and Fury had learned the value of a nanosecond during the last mission their team had encountered.

"Buckle up, everyone," Maria said over her shoulder without even bothering to look behind her. The sounds of shuffling feet and locking seat belts were all she needed to hear to make sure the team was following along.

The Quinjet she was piloting today was one of Stark's latest designs; the one that allowed for it to achieve ridiculously fast speeds. She was not very comfortable with the additional velocity, but she figured that if she had to use it at some point during this mission it was better to struggle with its handle than face whatever she had to use it to get away from. Agent Sitwell walked up to her and patted her on the back before taking his seat in the copilot chair.

Maria sighed as she finished tapping the last checkmark on the travel inventory and put away the electronic device inside its storage unit above her pilot seat. She did not want to seem as if she was babysitting the adults on the flight with her, but she could not help to look back and eye them one-by-one. She hated how she felt this was a silent goodbye to at least one of them, and as much as she did not want to force her mind to burn this image of all of them still alive and breathing into her consciousness, she had no choice but to do so.

Her eyes first fell on the very back of the jet where the three members of the team that would remain behind with her in the Quinjet sat: Eric, Jane and Darcy. She knew none of them were strangers to the dangers of hanging out with the Avengers, and while the Destroyer was safely tucked away in its storage cell, she could not imagine their anxiety to be here was any less than it had been when said visitor from another dimension made itself known in the little town in New Mexico.

All three were equipped with bullet-proof vests under their regular clothes. Darcy had made a comment when she was handed the vest that it was pointless to wear it to a magic fight but had put it on all the same. The only people who used guns around here where S.H.I.E.L.D. and War Machine, and she knew none of them would intentionally take a shot at the group of researchers.

Above the three of them rested two sets of parachutes for each of them to strap on if need be. Tony and Bruce had worked rather diligently in reinforcing the outer shell of the jet to sustain attacks from electromagnetic fields so as to prevent what had been determined to be the cause of the crash of the craft Coulson had navigated to the Congo. It was very likely that the Mandarin –and now Killian, had other tricks under their sleeves the team was yet to see, but for now they would take the path already traveled and assume a repeat of the events in Africa.

Hill noticed that Selvig's eyes were closed and his lips moved rapidly as he said a prayer. In the very few times he had flown with her he had always done the same. Hill was not a religious person herself, but she hoped Selvig was asking for protection for everyone involved in the mission – and yes, even for the annoying Tony Stark.

Jane's leg was restless, and had it not been for how tight the seats were drilled into the floor of the jet Hill was certain the entire bench would be moving by now. Foster bit her lips and exhaled slowly, methods Hill had herself used to calm her nerves at some point. Maria hoped Jane made it back in one piece as she did not have to be on the receiving end of a hissy fit thrown by the God of Thunder himself.

Darcy's stance was the complete opposite of her peers, and it was mostly due to the fact that she had refused to take off her sunglasses even inside the aircraft. Maria figured she had picked up the maddening habit from Tony, but she could also not blame her for trying to hide her true feelings. She knew Darcy and Rhodey had been connecting rather quickly as of late, and even if the age difference eventually proved to be too great to maintain a stable, committed relationship, Maria was certain that the bond between them would still remain. Hill had no doubt that under those nice shades she wore, her eyes were glued to her companion on her left even though her face was facing front.

Rhodes, sitting to Darcy's left but his back resting against the side wall of the craft, was as silent as he tended to be. His suit of armor stood next to Darcy, against the back wall, and was held in place by metal grips in strategic locations. It was difficult and uncomfortable to sit in the tight chairs with the armor on, especially for long periods of time, so both he and Tony had decided to not put them on until they were to jump out of the jet. Tony's armor was in the same situation as Rhodey's, but the Iron Man suit was standing to Selvig's right.

To Rhodey's left sat Captain Steve Rogers, already suited up in his red, white and blue outfit. He had completely removed the hood from his face and it was lying by his feet and was not expected to make the trip with him. At this point everyone knew who he was, and the hood would just prove to be in the way in this fight. He needed to be able to move quickly and efficiently, and have full range of his neck and vision if he wanted to keep an eye on the fast soldiers should they decide to appear. Steve felt Maria's eyes on him, causing him to sway his head to the side and he gave her a small smile which she immediately returned.

Her eyes then moved to the next team member, sitting on Steve's left: Bruce. Not counting Pepper's obvious advantage over the Extremis soldiers, Bruce –or, the Hulk, actually – was the strongest member of the team at the moment. If his lid on the actions of the Other Guy was completely flawless, he himself could probably take an entire army of the soldiers in one swoop of his muscular arms. However, the possibility that Bruce would lose control of the beast within him was still present, and thus the team needed to be around to either redirect his attention, or attempt to tame the anger the Green Machine was always full of.

Much to his obvious disappointment, Clint sat next to Bruce while Natasha sat on the opposite row across from him. The row where Natasha sat only had three seats, and two of those were taken up by Tony and Pepper. It was not as if Tony and Pepper had not offered to sit separately themselves, but Clint had declined the offer. He knew that he had to sit away from her and concentrate on the fight ahead and he could not do that with Natasha's arm brushing against him or the scent of her perfume nearby. Their conversation from last night was still fresh in his mind, and even though she had told him that everything was alright and that she did have the intention of marrying him, he could not shake the feeling that there was something she was hiding from him. Even before their relationship had moved to the next level, he had developed some sort of Natasha-lying radar. He could not quite narrow it down to one or two red flags that gave it away, but there was something in the way she was acting and not acting, and what she was saying and what she was not saying that gave him enough hints to know whatever she was withholding from him was something of utmost importance. Whatever it was, however, would have to wait for their return home after this mission.

_**When**__ we return; not if, __**when**__ we return_, the archer silently reminded himself.

The Deputy Director then stared at the Black Widow, looking as ready for battle as always. Her eyes showed how far away from reality she was, and had anyone else who did not know her observed her behavior, they would have assumed she did not care about what was about to happen. However, years of knowing the master assassin told Maria that this was her way of preparing for battle. She was slowly detaching herself from the situation, leaving behind only the cold, calculating side of her –the side that got things done.

Lastly, Hill's eyes fell on the couple sitting next to Romanoff. Pepper was sitting immediately to Natasha's right, and to Pepper's right was Tony. Pepper's head was leaning against his shoulder. Her eyes were closed but she was not asleep. Her right arm curled around his left one, their fingers tightly laced together. He looked down at her face covered by her long hair before slowly pushing it away with his free hand. Pepper slightly tilted her head toward his touch. His fingertips lingered on her cheek, tracing down her skin while his eyes took in every detail of her face as he had taken in every detail of her body last night. Their date the night before seemed as if it had occurred many years ago, and if he had a say in this drama, he would make it so that he had forced himself to meet-up with Killian that fateful night way back when.

_All of this because of a fucking meeting on a roof I didn't feel like going to. If only I had known…_

Known what exactly, he was not sure. He did not even know Pepper when Aldrich had spotted him on the elevator! Who was to say that if he traveled back in time and told his past self that his future wife and kids would one day be in danger because of his broken promise to Killian, he would have listened at all?

_Shit, I'd probably tell my future self to meet me on the roof, too._

He made a mental note to not ever leave anyone hanging or stand them up if he said he would meet with them –despite how much of a loser they looked like in his eyes. Tony stared at her for one more moment until the beeping that accompanied the pilot's handling of the controls on the console made him look up.

Maria Hill was now strapped to her seat. The passengers could feel the vibration that came from the starting engine of the jet. Everyone held their breath as the pilot let them know it was time for takeoff. Tony stared down at Pepper once more, her eyes now open. He gave her one of those smiles he reserved just for her before leaning down and kissing her forehead and then surrounded her with his arm, keeping her as close to his heart as he could.

xxxXXXxxx

"They are coming; they're almost here." The Mandarin, now fully recovered from his encounter with Pepper, stood by the balcony of his palace. His guest stood behind him, hands held behind his back as he too eyed the incoming Quinjet. He had been waiting for this moment for so long. His patience again paid off; he could almost savor his victory. "Should I go along with the next step of our plan?"

"Yes," the Mandarin retorted. "It is time to awaken the Makluan."

With a light nod the guest retired from the balcony, a wide smile on his features at the prospect of having a shot at battling the Source once more –albeit this time, it would be he himself doing the fighting directly, and not through Aldrich Killian.

xxxXXXxxx

"Deployment in t-minus thirty seconds. Everyone, get ready," Agent Sitwell called from his copilot seat. The moment Jasper's order was given, the latches of the seat belts unlocked, everyone stood up from their seats and the Iron Man and War Machine suits booted up. Darcy, Jane and Selvig ran to the front of the jet to witness the back door of the craft opening up, watching as everyone got suited up.

Tony and Rhodey were the first one to suit up followed by Cap, Natasha and Clint putting on their parachutes. Banner walked closer to Rhodey, with whom he was going to dive, and Tony grabbed Pepper by her waist.

"Five seconds!"

"We're ready!"

"GO!"

As if in line for a parade, Steve, Natasha and Clint jumped off the back of the jet. After giving them enough space, Banner held onto Rhodey and they both jumped down. Seconds later, Pepper and Tony took the plunge as well. Neither of them ever looked back to see the door close again or heard the silence that was left when the pressure inside the cabin was stabilized again.

"Dr. Foster, Dr. Selvig, Miss Lewis?" Maria said from her seat the pilot's chair. "You're on."

The group of researchers did not have to be told twice and in seconds prepared for setting up the radars and stations they would need to monitor the battle from the comfort of the jet. Hopefully, if something decided to attack them like the other Quinjet had been attacked before, they would see it coming beforehand. If not…

_I don't even want to think about that_, was the thought that crossed Jane's mind.

xxxXXXxxx

The landing had been much easier than it had been in the Congo since the rainforest and the desert in China were complete opposites. The rainforest had been filled with luscious trees and wildlife. The Chinese desert was filled with sand and dunes. There was nothing obstructing their landing, which was great. But, on the same token, there was absolutely nothing where Pepper had insisted Killian had gone off to, which was not as great.

"Are you getting any readings?" Tony asked via the intercom.

_"We're still getting the same amount of waves as what the scouts brought back with them,"_ Jane said over the receivers for everyone to hear. _"What are you getting, since you're closer, Banner?"_

Bruce shrugged as he analyzed the readings on his electronic tablet. "Same here, I don't get anything different."

"Maybe we're on the wrong landing site," Steve offered.

"Or maybe it just appears at night?" Rhodey wondered aloud, not doubting the Mandarin could pull off such a feat after everything they had seen.

"It's here!" Pepper interjected. "Maybe it's underground, I don't know. I remember everything being really dark."

"For all we know, it could've been a basement, Pep." Tony said, apologetically. "But the fact that there _are_ strange readings in the middle of nowhere must mean something, right?"

"Stark is right," the Widow admitted. "The least we can do since we're already here is check it out."

Each member of the team stared at each other before their heads looked left and right, some of them even twirled in place as their eyes admired the fact that there was nothing or no one else around them other than the scorching sun, sand, the whistling wind, and a few tiny crawlers scuffling between their feet. The entire 'checking it out' took less than five seconds.

"Not even tumbleweeds," Tony jested.

"Well," Clint said as he wiped some sweat off his brow. "At least there's no Malaria around here, huh?"

_*BEEP*_

Bruce's eyes lifted from the tablet in his hands and looked up.

_*BEEP*_

Steve took a few steps closer to Bruce and covered his eyes, tilting his head as he tried to determine if the sound he had heard had actually come from the device Banner was carrying.

_*BEEP*_

"Is it supposed to do that?" Clint asked, his right arm already slowly reaching for an arrow behind him.

_*BEEP BEEP*_

"Is the _Road Runner_ chasing us?" Rhodey asked when his own sensors began beeping as well.

"No," Iron Man said when his radar joined the same tune. "I think it's just ol' _Wile E. Coyote_. Pepper?" He turned to face her.

"Too many to count."

"Where from?" Natasha asked, removing the lock from her guns.

Pepper stared left and right as the beeping became faster and faster until everyone just opted to mute the sounds. "Everywhere."

xxxXXXxxx

"Sir?" Phil asked over the intercom as Jarvis showed him the satellite images of the landing site. "Are you seeing this?"

_"I am," _Nick responded_. "Where did they come from?"_

"They just…"

_"And don't tell me they just appeared out of nowhere."_

"OK."

_"OK, what? Where did they come from?"_

"Out of nowhere, sir" Coulson responded before hearing Fury sigh. "Jarvis?"

"It appears their origin began on this frame," he tapped on the screen in front of him, "and this frame."

"Jane, readings?" Coulson asked.

_"Uhm, there was a spike in the frames Jarvis is sending us info on, but it was so quick we wouldn't have detected it if the frames hadn't been pointed out to us."_

_"Which means?"_ Fury asked.

"Which means…" Jarvis began. "The origin of the waves must be on these coordinates."

_ "Hill?"_

_ "Yes?"_

_ "Are you getting these coordinates?"_

_ "We are, sir."_

_ "Then fly over them, slow them down. Give our team a chance to fight."_

_ "On it, sir."_

xxxXXXxxx

"So, now what?" Bruce asked as he stared down at the tablet he knew he would have to abandon very soon.

"Hill is heading that way," Steve said with apprehension in his voice. "She'll drop some of the arsenal in the Quinjet on them to slow them down."

"So, what do _we_ do?" Rhodes asked, his screen already aiming at the incoming army. "Sit down and have a talk with them?"

"Maybe." Tony said as he read his own screens. "These soldiers are different from the ones in Africa."

"How do you figure?" Natasha asked.

"Tony's right," Pepper spoke up. "For one, they're not running toward us…they're…walking."

"OK, so they're not _running_ furnace zombies; they're _walking_ furnace zombies. So, what?" Clint threw his hands in the air to show he was not following along.

"I think what Tony means is that these ones look…"

"Organized," Bruce finished for Steve before he began his transformation into the Other Guy, feeling he needed to be prepared for whatever came his way. The snick and grunt that he emitted when he was done announced his readiness and willingness for battle.

"Not only that," Tony continued. "Jarvis is sending me readings that say these soldiers have been infected for at _least_ a year."

"A year?" Rhodey exhaled. "Are they left over from Killian?"

"I doubt it," Pepper said as she took a few steps closer to the army. "If he had these many soldiers at his command this entire time, he would have just sent them to the base to get him out."

"Besides," Tony pointed out as his screen zoomed onto the soldiers. "They're wearing the symbol of the Ten Rings on their clothes."

"What?" Steve said, cursing internally for not having brought binoculars with him. "What do you mean? Are they the same ones that captured you in Afghanistan?"

"Beats me. I never found any link between them and this version of the Mandarin other than they both like to play terrorists."

"Well, they must be connected somehow," Steve shook his head. "I doubt they're just copycats."

"Maybe the group that kidnapped me was the copycat. I mean, Killian was taking on the Mandarin's name, right? Maybe the Ten Rings that worked with Stane were taking a page out of the Mandarin's book, too. Think about," Tony said as he took a few more steps closer to where Pepper stood. "Why the hell would a terrorist organization need my weapons if their boss can do fucking magic?"

"That actually kinda makes sense," Natasha began. "But, back to the pressing matter: what are _we_ going to _do_?"

"Jarvis, give me a headcount."

_"We are detecting about a thousand red dots, sir."_

"I'm sorry," Clint said shaking his head. "Did I just hear Jarvis say 'a _thousand_ red dots'?"

_"My apologies, Hawkeye. I seemed to have miscounted."_ Jarvis chirped in, causing Clint to sigh in relief. _"I meant to say two-thousand red dots."_

Barton's shoulders slouched. "I was happier with the thousand. Thank you, Jarvis."

"Well, it's gonna get nasty here, very soon." Rhodey said. "Is Maria in position?"

_"We are,"_ Hill responded. _"We're right above the spot where they're appearing from. It looks like…a portal of some kind."_

At the mention of the word 'portal' everyone stared at Tony, causing the billionaire to turn around and face them all and going as far as lifting his faceplate. "No," he shook his head vehemently. "I'm _not_ rushing to any portal this time around, so you can forget about it." He finished with a metallic pointed finger at the team.

"We didn't expect you to, man," Rhodey said. "We just wanted to make sure the idea didn't go to your head, again."

Tony visibly relaxed and closed his faceplate again. A low rumbling could be felt in the sandy ground and a light cloud of dust began to rise in the distance as the Mandarin's forces began to draw near.

"OK, so _what_ are gonna do?" Natasha asked feeling they were going in circles and not actually answering the most important question right now.

"We could just leave?" Clint suggested.

"What?" Steve spat.

"We know where the soldiers are coming from; that's probably where the Mandarin and Killian are, right?" Clint asked and waited for the team to nod along. "Alright, so clearly we don't have enough power to do this on the ground. We should just haul ass out of here and let Maria drop the big guns on them."

"Hulk no like idea. Hulk want to smash."

"Sure you do," Tony said. "But, _Legolas, _here, has a point. We don't want a repeat of Congo, right? They saw us out here, so they're coming out. Now that we got their attention, let's just attack from above."

"How, exactly?" Pepper's question made everyone stare at Steve.

"Well, uhm, Rhodey and Tony can handle the skies. Natasha and Hawkeye should probably stay behind and…hide?"

"Hide, where exactly?" Clint said with open arms. "Under a pile of sand?"

"Hide behind Hulk!"

"You hide behind Hulk," Steve continued. "At least until a second Quinjet comes and gets you."

_"On it! I'm sending additional backup to pick you up, drop the new tear gas and Black Ice."_ The team heard Fury say in their earpieces.

"OK. What about you?" Pepper asked the Captain. "I think I can take on some of them, but you? How about we stick together and keep them off Clint and Natalie until the jet arrives?"

Steve nodded and with that everyone turned to face the army. They all stood in formation, each ready to attack as the army stopped about fifty feet away from them. At such close distance, it was clear to the team that these Extremis soldiers were more than just power-hungry individuals who had happened to fall for Killian's speech. These soldiers were calm and collected, and they all had with them weapons which ranged from swords to even bows and arrows, and as Tony had stated, they all wore the emblem of the Ten Rings on their outfits.

"So, two-thousand against eight, uh? That's math I can't do in my head!" The archer pointed out in an attempt to disguise his concern for the fate of their numbers against the army before them.

"Well, they seem to like arrows, too, Barton," Tony followed along, understanding why the Hawk resorted to humor in this situation. "Maybe they speak your language…or maybe they're you're long-lost and rather distant cousins…or brothers of another mother."

The mini stand-up comedy show of the two Avengers was interrupted when the army began yelling a cry of readiness. The image brought crude memories of the Congo back to them, but they remained standing still. The Quinjets Fury had deployed were just minutes away from them; all they had to do was survive for a little while longer.

"Are we ready?" Steve asked over the shouting of the soldiers.

"I was ready yesterday," Rhodey said.

"Then…"

Whatever Steve was going to say was interrupted by another visible weather disturbance. Torrential rain was not out of the question in the desert, but they doubted the sudden appearance of clouds and a lighting show was due to natural causes.

"Son of a bitch!" Tony spat when the rain started picking up above them. "So, he wanted us to freeze to death in the Congo, and here the Mandarin wants us to drown?"

"Jane, weather development?" Natasha asked.

"_The weather is provoked, alright. The wind is picking up."  
_

_"The Quinjets have to slow down."_ Fury interjected_. "Hold your ground as long as you can."_

xxxXXXxxx

Inside the Quinjet, Erik Selvig leaned closer to the screen in front of him, watching the intimidating cloud build-up that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere directly over the battlefield.

"I know that storm formation." he stated in awe. Jane's pulse quickened as she realized what her mentor was referring to.

"So do I." She whispered.

xxxXXXxx

The weather did not deter the soldiers as they began grabbing better hold of their weapons. The Avengers responded by readying their weapons as well, and when the first step was taken by the soldiers, the Avengers pushed into battle as well.

The two sides never met, however, as a blinding light stopped all of them in their tracks. Everyone took a step back and closed their eyes, waiting for the lightning strike to end, and when it did, everyone was stunned by the scene.

There, amongst the chaos of charred Extremis soldiers on the sand stood an unexpected visitor, looking as confused as everyone else for an instant before his eyes found his team.

"Aye! There you are, my friends! Heimdall has just alerted me to the peril you face. I return to you to lend my strength to this battle in your time of greatest need."

"Goldilocks, I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life." Stark exclaimed.

"Truly?"

Tony answered Thor's question by pointing behind the God of Thunder. Only then did Thor turn around and see the stunned army behind him, all looking at each other, uncertain of what action to take at the moment. "It appears my timing is most fortunate. The battle, it seems, has already commenced"

"You could say that," Natasha said with a hint of a smile in her voice. "We could use your help."

"And my help you shall receive." The Asgardian prince stated, before turning to look at the confused army of soldiers. Holding his mighty hammer toward the darkened sky, Thor summoned a blinding lightning bolt down into the mystic metal of his trusted Mjolnir, then swung the hammer forward and shot the gathered electricity directly at the front row of the army.

While the Extremis soldiers could handle extreme heat due to their ability to generate it themselves, a full strike of lightning was another matter altogether, and even the enhanced soldiers could not withstand the attack. Many of the soldiers, mostly the 1.0's, screamed out in agony for a brief moment before withering into charred human crisps that crumbled to the rain-dampened desert floor.

The 2.0's that were hit simply blew apart from the overload of energy as the purer strain of virus inside their bodies attempted to regenerate the damage immediately once it was received even as the lightning continued to strike their bodies The combination of damage and super-fast cellular reconstruction was more than they could take; they began to explode like the flawed 1.0 subjects that were unable to regulate, taking out several more of their brethren standing in the rows behind them. The surviving soldiers took several paces back, knowing that their orders were to attack but already convinced that even their enhancements could not do much against a god.

Satisfied with the damage he had wrought so far, Thor used the momentary stalling of the Extremis army to turn around and address his comrades.

"Friends, I would have words with you. It is of utmost importance, if the danger Heimdall believes he has seen here on Midgard is true." Thor began taking steps toward his team with an admirable self-confidence only a god could have, and as if he did not have an army of mutants behind his back.

"Uhm, Thor, I don't think the angry zombies are going to wait for us to have a nice chat." Hawkeye pointed out.

Thor's eyebrows furrowed, confused by the term Clint had used.

"Zom-bys? Is that the name of our enemy?"

"No, that'd be…well…" Clint was not sure where to start.

"My friends, I am happy to see you all, but your Midgardian terms confuse me. Is there…" Thor's response was cut short for no apparent reason, but the god's face turned around to stare at the army and then towards the sky. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Steve asked, staring back and forth between Thor and the rest of the team.

"I hear it," Pepper said, staring in the same direction Thor was looking. "It sounds like…"

"Whistling," Steve interjected, his ears picking up on the strange sound as well. "Is it a Quinjet?"

"_No. They are stuck behind the storm."_ Fury informed them.

"Can you stop the storm, Thor?" Natasha asked, trying her best to hear whatever it was that had the Hulk growling behind her.

"It is not all my doing, I am afraid."

"So the Mandarin is…" Tony's stopped his words when his internal screens showed him a pattern he had not seen in years. He narrowed his eyes as his mind began connecting the dots of what he was reading and the memories that were returning to him. Immediately after Iron Man's radar picked up the signals, the War Machine suit did as well.

"Tony, are you seeing this?" Rhodey said.

"Wish I wasn't," Tony sighed.

"What? What is it?" Clint asked, trying his hardest to see whatever everyone else was seeing but failing to do so and not liking it.

"Jericho," was the only word Tony managed to utter before the ground shook underneath them and everything vanished in a wall of sand.

xxxXXXxxx

"Director! Sir, I have an urgent report for you, Sir!"

Fury turned away from the disaster he had just witnessed and gave a look of pure agitation to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had come running onto the bridge, clutching a piece of paper in his hand and holding it out to the Director.

"A report? You want me to look at a report! Do you realize that the entire Avengers team just went off the grid in an explosion that could cover fifty city blocks? And you're wanting me to read a motherfuckin' REPORT?!" Fury shouted so loud that the entire bridge turned around to stare for a moment. The agent visibly paled, but held his ground.

"I'm sorry, Sir," the agent responded meekly, "But this is a level 7 emergency report for your eyes only, Sir." Fury reached out and snatched the paper from the man's hand.

"This had better be good, or you'll be stationed at a listening outpost in Iceland when this is all over." Fury looked over the report, but it was written in S.H.I.E.L.D. jargon, and considering what he had just witnessed on the viewing screen of the bridge, he could barely concentrate.

"What the hell am I looking at?" he demanded. The agent gulped, and reported all he knew.

"A routine check on the Confiscated Artifacts vault back at our Main Headquarters, Sir. One of the artifacts was just discovered missing less than five minutes ago. Comparing the records of the previous check, it has been determined that the item was removed within the last hour, Sir."

Fury looked more closely at the printed report he held and focused on the designated number of the item that had gone missing. His eye widened when he realized what was taken, and just like that a big piece of the puzzle fell into place in the Director's mind.

"Son of a bitch." He whispered to himself.

xxxXXXxxx

Steve's eyes fluttered open expecting to see harp-playing angels around him but the only image his sight picked up was that of the sun again. He lifted his head to look at the weight he felt on him and his stupor disappeared when he saw Rhodey's helmet resting on his crotch.

"What the!"

The sudden jolt and movement underneath him made War Machine push himself up. It only took Rhodey half a second to realize the compromising position of both men before he bolted off the Captain.

"Dude, that's not what it looks like!"

Both men turned all around them, expecting to see the others laughing and pointing at them but all they saw were bodies mingled with sand, both Extremis soldiers and Avengers members.

"What happened?" Steve asked, standing up and patting sand from his clothes.

"That was a Jericho missile…or missiles. They were the last major weapon Tony designed before he was kidnaped." Rhodey responded, waving his arms to shake off sand from his joints. "That should've killed us. Where are the others?"

Steve's hand reached his earpiece and tapped on it. "Director Fury, do you copy?" he said but heard no response. His eyes then went to the sky and he frantically searched for a sign of the Quinjet Maria was piloting. "Hill, do you copy?"

"It's busted," Rhodey said when his own intercom did not work. "It's fucking busted."

"Of course," Steve rolled his eyes. "Let's look for the others."

Rhodey turned around and took a few steps, stopping only when he saw the delicate hand of his redheaded friend coming from underneath a pile of sand. "Tash, are you alright?"

The Widow's eyes blinked hard as she forced herself to sit up, groaning and spitting out sand from her mouth. "What the hell?" She wiped her lips with the back of her hand but it only spread the wet sand even more. "Why aren't we dead?"

"Luck," they heard Clint say from somewhere to their left. He was standing up with the help of Tony who was also shaking his armor of sand. "Thanks, Stark," Barton said to the billionaire.

"No problem. Next time remind me to make all of you electromagnetic force fields."

"What?" Natasha said, only now seeing Bruce standing up close to her and instantly realizing he had once more saved her life. She gave him a grateful smile which would have returned if he was not spitting out as much sand as Natasha had just before.

"The suits have force fields now." Rhodey clarified. "That's how I kept Cap from burning."

"What manner of trickery was that?" Thor said as he shook his head to clear his blonde mane from the sand. "Is this our enemy's doing as well?"

"I guess so, though I don't know how the fuck he got a hold of my weapons. I thought I'd gotten them all."

"Intercom doesn't work anymore, by the way," Steve offered, patting the side of his head and feeling sand coming out of his ear. "Let's do a roll call. Rogers."

"Romanoff."

"Barton."

"Banner."

"Rhodes."

"Stark."

"Odinson!" Thor said with more pride than needed after figuring out they were calling out their family names, prompting everyone to stare at Thor with mild amusement until Tony's curse brought them back to reality once more.

"Potts?"

At the mention of the woman's name, everyone went rigid. Their eyes traveled back and forth between them but there was no sign of their missing member. "I thought she was right here." Tony said, pointing to his side. "I grabbed her arm and…Pepper?"

"Pepper?" Thor was taken aback. "Who is Pepper?"

"Tony's wife," Bruce answered.

"Tony Stark is wed? Congratulations!"

"Yeah, thanks, Point Break, but can you help me _find_ my wife, or do you have something else to do?" Tony asked as he, and the rest of the Avengers, began tapping the sand underneath them and stopped only when they felt glass.

"Tony, over here!" Clint called when the skin on his fingers was sliced by the shards. "There's glass over here!"

Everyone walked in the direction of Barton, staring down at the pile of broken glass. Memories of Pepper's tale of her dream surrounded their minds, particularly the part where Pepper had said she was drowning in sand.

"Do you think?" Natasha was not able to finish her question.

"I do not understand what is happening," Thor's voice resounded above them. "But I do have to inform you of the magnitude of the threat as we have seen it from Asgard."

"Is it more important than my wife vanishing after a Jericho attack?" Tony spat, his hands digging into the pile of sand and glass.

"I mean no disrespect, Tony Stark. But my news is as grave as the fact that your woman is missing." Thor stated as the first of the surviving Extremis soldiers began to pull themselves from the sand around them.

"What can POSSIBLY be MORE important to me than Pepper?"

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper opened her eyes with a snap. The darkness had returned, and for some reason it scared her more than the fact that she apparently had survived a Jericho missile attack. It was not as if she did not know the virus gave her an advantage over the explosions, but it was the idea that she was the only one that survived it that made the eerie feeling creep up her spine.

She sat up on the ground and was surprised to see a familiar cylindrical structure a few feet away from her, it being the only part of the room that was illuminated by a beam of light. She slowly stood up from the floor and began walking towards it, but a voice from the shadows made her stop in her tracks.

"Glad to see you're awake, Ember. Or, do you prefer 'Mrs. Stark'?"

Pepper swallowed hard, her mouth had suddenly gone dry. "Who are you?"

The chuckle in his voice was all but menacing, and when he finally reached the light, Pepper's mouth hung.

She did not know how it was possible, but the seriousness of the situation hit home to her upon seeing the owner of the voice. She assumed it was he who was her captor, who had taken her from the battlefield in the aftermath of the Jericho detonation and brought her here, what she now believed to be the heart of the Mandarin's lair.

Although they had never met face to face, Pepper knew this man, knew him all too well. She had thoroughly read his file in the S.H.I.E.L.D. priority database upon joining the Avengers team, but even if she hadn't, Tony had described him to her in uncanny detail. Everything matched his description; the boots, the absurd yet appropriate leather and metal outfit, the wild and hungry look in the eyes. And for the first time since awakening from her year-long comatose state and finding that Extremis had changed her destiny from a normal woman to a superhuman, Pepper began to feel genuine fear, not for the lives of her loved ones, but for her own life. "Loki?"

* * *

**A/N: **Dun dun dum duuuuun! OK, by show of reviews, who saw this coming?

**EDIT:** Forgot to recommend you to read donnag76's "Many Happy Returns." It's awesome!


	34. Chapter 33

**A/N: **Soooo…I know this took forever and a day, but at least you get another long chapter. So, yay! Don't hate me!A special thanks to EVERYONE who read and reviewed, and waited patiently for my life to slow down for three seconds so I could write this for you. Also, a shout out to the creators of Iron Man Armored Adventures (which I have just recently become obsessed with, and by accident), for assisting me in putting together the scrambled ideas I had in my head about how this was going to go. I'm happy that my thoughts weren't as out-there as I thought they were, seeing as a similar concept was already touched upon in IMAA. I don't own IMAA either, but if I did, I'd give it a third season.

*DRUMROLL*

* * *

**Chapter 33**

Gillian Smith, hired help to the Stark family, walked slowly from the kitchen to the living room of the secluded cabin in Colorado, concentrating on making sure the syringes were ready to be used. The small squirt from the tip of the needles confirmed the contraptions were awaiting their next victims. She held both syringes in one hand, and as she walked next to the still form of Happy Hogan on the floor behind the couch, a small smile played on her face.

Her eyes then stared ahead once again, specifically toward the two unsuspecting toddlers cramped together inside the small crib by the far wall. Once she reached them, she picked up Robert by the back of his tiny shirt, holding him up in the air as one would hold a misbehaving puppy. She placed one of the syringes in her mouth so that she could grab the second with better precision, and without hesitation inserted the needle and its accompanying black liquid into the neck of the poor child. Once Robert went limp in her arms, she all but dropped the boy from the current height and onto the crib's thin mattress.

Repeating the steps with the boy's sister, the second syringe was quickly emptied of its contents and Gwyneth followed her brother's fate, quickly going limp in Smith's hands. The baby girl was dropped inside the crib as well, her head almost bonking onto Robert's, missing it only by a hair. Satisfied with her accomplishment, Gillian turned around to make sure the former boxer was still down for the count as an even wider smile appeared on her face. It was not until she heard the growls of the canine before her that she dared to chuckle at the attempt of Stark's companion to stop her.

It was too late for the bodyguard and toddlers, and she knew it. And, had Jarvis been more than just a dog, he would have known it too. She, however, humored the pooch by responding to his loud barking and hissing by glaring at him with her orange-glowing eyes and skin. Even though she had missed many meetings with the Mandarin to report her progress, she was sure he would definitely be pleased with his 2.0 soldier's infiltration in the Stark home.

xxxXXXxxx

"Stark, do you copy?" Fury tried to reach him or anyone on the team, but the intercom had failed them again. "Dammit! Hill, do you copy?"

His luck did not change.

"Coulson, are you there?"

_"Yes, sir. I can't establish contact with them either. I think the Quinjet Maria was piloting has gone down. I can't find it on the radar."_

"Just my luck! Phil, we have another problem, one that we should've seen coming but we did not."

_ "What is it?"_ The agent on the other end of the line asked, knowing that if his Director had just called him by his first name, the information he was about to receive was not going to be pleasant to hear.

"I've just been informed that Item #3 has been taken from the vault."

xxxXXXxxx

Phil's mouth went slack, his eyes darting to Jarvis. The AI in the Mark XLIV suit had already detected in his database the item Fury was referring to, and by the look on Coulson's face he could tell the agent also knew which item had been lost. Phil would never forget the number of that item; the item that had nearly taken his life.

"When?"

_"No more than an hour ago."_ Fury responded.

"I take it, it just disappeared."

_"Like everything and everyone since this shit started, yes."_

Jarvis' attention to the conversation was interrupted when radars of his own creation beeped. The AI read the results in an instant, and the appropriate response protocols displayed on the screen of the helmet.

"Agent Coulson?" The AI turned to face the distraught-looking man.

"Yes?"

"It appears my priorities are in need of rearrangement. I must leave the base, immediately."

"What? What do you mean? Are you going to China?"

"No, I am not, but your assistance may be required there."

"What are you saying?"

"I believe the time has come to put my recommendation into action, sir."

Phil sighed loudly before looking to his left to stare at Agent Jones. One nod to her was all she needed to know her time to shine was upon her.

xxxXXXxxx

The initial order the Mandarin's servants had received was to distract the Avengers while the Master's guest made his move. The second order –given after their plans had to be adjusted after the intervention of the Thunderer, was to hold back until the Jericho missiles hit to cause the much-needed distraction, hence why the detonation did not happen directly on top of the Avengers, allowing them – and the Source, to survive. Now that the Source had been collected during the chaos of the explosions, their new order was to prevent the Avengers from reaching the castle hidden behind the invisible walls, a mile in front of the superhero team.

"I believe my news and this incident are related, as I can only think of one reason for my brother to remain on Earth."

Thor's words did not immediately sink in to everyone present, but after they had put two and two together, the demigod had the attention of his friends.

"Your brother?" Natasha asked, afraid of the answer but needing the confirmation, nonetheless.

"Aye. Shortly before my arrival here to your world, it was discovered that my brother had tricked us all again."

"What do you mean 'tricked'?" Clint asked, his arm reaching behind his back to find an explosive arrow of Black Ice in his quiver, which he hoped he could use on the Master Sorcerer himself.

"The Loki I took back with me to Asgard after our last battle was nothing more than a decoy. My brother never left with me and has been hiding on Earth ever since. Loki may not have the physical strength of the fiercest warriors of my world, but he makes up for it in his sorcery and multiple-dimension warping abilities. He has fooled even my father."

"So, Loki has been here, all this time, sulking and plotting his revenge?" Bruce asked, his mind already racing with what it meant for Loki to have been around them, amongst them, perhaps.

"I am afraid so. I would have warned you sooner, but it was not until now that we managed to see through his illusion. I am most remorseful for this," Thor finished the last part by staring at Tony, obviously troubled that his late arrival had not prevented Pepper from being taken away. "When I ordered Heimdall to look to the Earth for a sign of Loki's whereabouts, he informed me of the battle you were about to enter into. I suspected Loki's treachery was involved, so I used what energy we have obtained from the Tesseract to come here immediately."

"So, Loki is working with the Mandarin?" Tony asked the unspoken question that was in everyone's minds. "And, he's taken my Pepper with him?"

Thor's bow of his head was all the answer Tony needed.

"That son of a bitch!" Bruce spat aloud, causing everyone to stare at him with wide eyes. Bruce did not usually lose his cool despite dangerous or unpleasant situations, so whatever had upset him so much could be nothing other than more terrible news for them. "He was the one who took Killian!"

"Who?" Steve asked, trying his best to follow the conversation but still feeling nervous and overwhelmed by his inability to communicate with Maria to make sure they had all made it out alright.

"Loki!" Bruce responded. "It all makes sense now!"

"Dammit!" Tony kicked the sand under his feet. "Of course he did! Little bastard can manipulate the spectrum! That's what his illusions are! That's why you could see his illusions in the videos!" Tony pointed to Bruce.

"I do not understand. Did you see my brother already?"

"No, yes! Ugh!" Tony repeatedly hit the top of his helmet in exasperation. "Bruce can see astral projections, right? So, just like Jane said, what if the world of the dead is nothing more than another dimension? Loki can create illusions and blend realities to his will, so he nearly overlaps those dimensions in the process. He appeared to Killian as Agent Galaga, and he appeared to Bruce as…"

"My father."

"A fake version of your father," Tony began. "That's why I could see the kids but I couldn't see him when you did. That's why he could talk to you and I couldn't! He wasn't actually in the world of the dead, but close enough for you to sense him!"

"But, wait, slow down!" Rhodey said, waving his hands in the air. "I thought only Hulk could see these ghosts and stuff. Can you see them right now, Bruce?"

"No. They stopped after Tony woke up."

"Which means," Natasha said, "that, either Loki was somehow messing with Bruce's mind, or the side effect Bruce suffered from the prototype tear gas just helped Loki with his plans."

"This is not good for my anger," Bruce said, his fists shaking.

"Uh-oh," Clint said, taking a step back from Bruce when he saw he was getting ready to transform. Everyone held their breath, knowing very well the consequences of Bruce transforming against his will. The seconds passed quickly, and when Banner remained in his human form despite his shaking hands, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, shit."

"What is it Banner?" Tony asked.

"Oh. SHIT!" He said as he closed his eyes and tried to transform again.

"'Oh, shit,' what?" Rhodey asked.

"I…" Bruce opened his eyes and stared down at his hands. "I can't transform."

xxxXXXxxx

His Cheshire Cat-like smile gave Pepper chills. The man was not as visibly imposing as his brother, but there was just something in the way he carried himself that made him seem even more dangerous than anyone she had ever faced before. The light inside the structure suddenly expanded, and she was able to see everything around her. The structure was exactly as she had remembered from her dream, but this time the details were clearer. Wherever they were at the moment, she knew the building was not truly a building, but the well-maintained remnants of an aircraft.

"What do you want with me? Or are you here to _play_ with Bruce again?" She spat with as much venom as possible, trying her best to not show the feelings of fear that currently overcame her. _It's what Tony would've done._

The smile he had so proudly sported faded for a moment, his mind and muscles reminding him what it had been to face the brute. "The beast will not interfere this time around. I've made sure of that."

"What do you mean: made sure?"

"Oh, you will find out, very soon, when it becomes time to go collect the destroyed body of that loudmouth that is your spouse."

"You will NOT touch Tony."

"Oh, I certainly will not. But, _you_ will."

xxxXXXxxx

Everyone's eyes were glued to Bruce as he tried time and time again to unleash the Hulk. It was not until Natasha walked up to him to take a closer look at his neck that she discovered the small puncture wound on it. "Banner, you got injected with something."

"What?" Bruce's hand flew to his neck, feeling the slight bump with his fingertips, a small amount of dried blood coming off the wound. "Are you kidding me? When did this happen?"

"Probably around the same time Loki took Pepper," Tony said, rubbing his forehead with his fingers, his faceplate up. "So, now Loki and the Mandarin have an army, but _we_ don't have a Hulk."

"But we have a demigod that can char human furnaces," Clint offered.

"That's true. Why do you think they're here, anyway? They've already taken Pep."

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say they want to kill us, Tony," Rhodey said.

"Right," Steve began. "Let's try to not make it easy on them. We aren't getting Pepper back as long as they're still around. They were probably ordered to keep us busy while the Mandarin uses Pepper for whatever he wants her for."

"Do you think Maria is still up there?" Natasha asked, staring at the skies and fearing the worst. It was not until her eyes fell on Thor that she remembered Maria was not the only one in the Quinjet with which they had no communication since the storm had passed.

"Is Maria Hill missing?" Thor asked, remembering the woman was second-in-command of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"You could say that," Clint answered as he stared at Natasha with the same thought in mind. "Uh, Thor, about that. Maria wasn't alone in the jet."

"Are more people in peril? Do they require assistance?"

Everyone exchanged looks, silently choosing one of them to tell Thor the news. It was only fair that Thor was informed of what might have occurred; if Jane was in danger or worse, they knew he would like to know beforehand. Finally, Bruce was chosen to relay the news.

"Thor, Maria was piloting the jet so that Selvig, Jane and Darcy could help us with the battle."

Thor's face contorted into one of barely controlled anger. "Jane was with her?"

"Yes, and we lost contact with everyone after the missile hit." Rhodey added, looking away and thinking about Darcy's fate as well.

Thor stared at everyone for a long minute before his eyes drifted to the now again moving and incoming army. "I believe this army is in the way," the Thunderer stated before lifting his hammer and calling upon the mother of all lightning bolts, larger than anyone in the group had ever seen.

xxxXXXxxx

After a quick blink of her eyes, Loki disappeared from in front of her. She felt him standing behind her and he placed his palm on her back. In an instant, Pepper remembered how the images of the camera in Killian's cell had shown this was how Loki had caused her to seize, which prompted her to jump into action. Pepper lifted her arms behind her, grabbed Loki by the neck, flipped him over her head and slammed him on his back on the ground by her feet. She then took a step back to keep a relative safe distance, opened her mouth, and torched the god where he lay.

The fire, however, was quickly extinguished by a wall of ice building around the God of Mischief. Pepper increased the force of the attack, but the flames never made it to Loki. He in turn stood up from the ground, smoothed out his wrinkled clothes, and responded to her attack by shooting a spike of ice from his right hand. The spike traveled the short distance between them and hit Pepper square in her stomach, coming out through her back.

Having endured worse attacks herself, Potts was not stunned by the move. She increased her internal temperature, and melted the spike while still inside her body. The Extremis was hard at work rebuilding its host's wound as Pepper heated up her right fist, hot enough to turn it into a ball of fire before she used her speed to appear in front of Loki and punched him in the face. The hit would have surely broken a normal person's face, but in Loki's case, the punch only stunned him for a brief moment and tilted his horned helmet slightly askew, before he disappeared from sight once more.

"Stop doing that, you coward!" Pepper spat. "Are you afraid of me? Is that why you run?"

Loki's response came in the form of another attack. This time there was not only one spike, but several, and all made contact with Pepper. The force of the impact sent her flying off. The spikes of ice penetrated her palms and thighs, pinning her to the metal wall behind her. Just as before, Pepper called upon the virus as she pulled herself from the spikes, melting them instantaneously as her skin traveled the path of the ice.

_I'm getting tired of this_, she thought to herself. _If he can't harm me with ice, he'll stop attacking from afar, and will have no choice but to face me. The longer I keep him here with me, the longer Tony and the others have a chance to find me._

Pepper closed her eyes and hands, took in a deep breath, and concentrated on what she wanted to do; something she had sworn she would never allow herself to do. _Desperate times and all that jazz._

Battling a demigod was desperate enough, indeed.

During one particular meditation session with Bruce, they had discussed the possibility that one day Pepper would be forced to downright turn off her control over the virus, and just let it take over her completely. Bruce had mentioned that he had done that once before when his life had been in grave danger – which was not uncommon when living the life of a hero; a life Pepper now lived – but that he had learned that doing so made it difficult for the Hulk to relinquish control over Bruce's body. In Pepper's case, Banner had said, the virus was not truly another person within her, but it did bring up the violence in her. This vicious side of her had been the one that had almost killed Tony when Killian had taken control over her, and it had been the same one that had almost killed Killian as well.

Thus, he had advised her, that if the occasion ever presented itself, to hold on to the one thing she could not live without, and keep it in mind to force herself to return to her normal self after the dirty deed was done. Pepper had not wanted to go to such extreme tactics, but she had always known the one thought she would use – if ever – to keep her insane side in check as much as she could.

"_I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you." _Tony's words spoken inside his makeshift lab/basement returned to her. She had never told him, but the feeling was mutual, now more than ever before. If losing control was what needed to happen to keep everyone else safe, she would do it, even if there was a chance she would never go back to being herself.

She could feel her body relaxing, her ears tuning out all sounds, and her skin losing its ability to feel the air around her. The special _virus_ inside of her saw a way out, the walls of protection finally crumbling inside, and it ran at the speed of light to reach its destination – it would be caged no more.

From his defensive position a few feet in front of her, Loki smiled at the scene and summoned his recently reacquired scepter to his hand. The dormant Makluan inside Pepper would come out and play, very soon.

xxxXXXxxx

"Is everyone alright?" Maria Hill asked as she stood up, patting her body to make sure she was unharmed as well. Whatever or whoever had taken down the aircraft had barely given them enough time to jump out of the Quinjet. Thankfully, all of them had made it out alive.

"That's gonna leave a mark," Darcy mumbled as she eyed the bruise already forming on her leg. The shaking inside the falling craft had made it difficult to reach the door, and she had fallen down a few times before she was able to jump off the back of the jet. "So much for helping them out, huh? You think they're OK?"

"I'm sure they are," Selvig said, brushing off sand from his clothes. "If that was Thor we detected, then they've just gained an advantage over the army.

"It had to be Thor," Jane said, helping Agent Sitwell stand from the ground. "I'd recognize that pattern anywhere. That was definitely him."

"I sure hope so," Maria said, wiping off sweat and sand from her forehead before staring down at the device in her hand. "How many scientists does it take to fix a radio?"

"Wait, I know this!" Darcy raised her hand.

"Why?" Selvig asked, walking closer to the Deputy Director.

"Because I'd like to try and rig this transmitter to let Director Fury know we've made it out OK."

xxxXXXxxx

"Why did you bring me here?" A battered-looking Aldrich Killian asked the Mandarin from his place in the small cage. He was certain the enclosure was not made for a person, but for a large animal, as he was only able to kneel rather than stand inside of it. His body was still recovering from the beating Pepper had given him, and if he never saw her again in his life, it would be too soon for his taste.

"You should have known better than to betray me, Aldrich. I always get what I want. The Mandarin does not tolerate treachery in his own home."

"You have what you wanted; what I told you I would give you." Aldrich pressed his face against the crate. "I created a successful blend of my Extremis virus and the Makluan DNA you provided me. Pepper – _Ember_ – is ready to open the chamber for you. She will get the Makluan relic you seek."

"You think me a fool?" Mandarin walked closer to Killian. "I know what you did with my findings; with the ancient knowledge I lent to you. You tried to take over the world in a business suit – a world that belongs to me. You used the knowledge and power of the Makluan species to perfect that virus of yours and used my name for your gain. Did you expect me to sit back and take it? You took more than what was given to you, Aldrich."

"I was just testing the material. I needed to find a specimen that would withstand the Extremis-Makluan combination – I lost dozens of soldiers testing it. From the four subjects I used that did take to it, only Pepper was the absolute match. I just didn't know she survived until she came back. I thought she was gone. But, I planned to deliver her to you, all along."

"So, what now? You expect me to forgive your act of fraud simply because she is almost ready to do what she was created to do? You made a fool out of me and my people. Your deed will not go unpunished. Besides, you did not deliver a complete Makluan-DNA carrier. My ally is having to break her in as we speak."

Killian swallowed hard, hoping against hope that he did not have to be part of the ritual the Mandarin was preparing for in front of him.

xxxXXXxxx

Loki was not easily amused, but he had to admit that the spectacle before him was one that would make it to his list of amazing sights. The woman in front of him had once been nothing more than a pale-looking, scrawny female dressed in a black leotard. What now stood in her place was completely different than what he had expected to see.

Pepper's body was now encased by the fire that burned within her, giving her a hot-coal look. Her once almost transparent skin was now entirely black on all spots – except for her green, scaly, hands. On top of the black-colored skin, red, randomly allocated fissures of burning fire marred her form, giving her a resemblance of molten lava finding its way down the hills of a recently erupted volcano. Her blue orbs were no longer present, and in their place were now yellow eyeballs with black, snake-like pupils. Her teeth had sharpened into fangs, and her strawberry-blonde hair had turned a bright red. The most surprising transformation, however, were the reptile-like hands she now sported. Gone were her normal, human hands. Her fingernails had grown into claws, and her fingers had elongated to become the perfect weapon for gauging someone's eyes out.

When her eyes adjusted again, the first view of the outside came in the form of Loki and his scepter, standing in front of her. He placed the tip of the _Glow Stick of Destiny_ on her chest, and he waited for the scepter to take control over her. Pepper's head bowed slightly, and her eyes stared down at the contraption. Ember smiled as she lifted her gaze, staring at Loki's surprised face with nothing more than pure contempt. By the time Loki realized the scepter had failed him once more, Pepper grabbed it with both of her hands, heating it up on contact and forcing Loki to let go of it to fall with a loud clank on the floor.

Her second step was to grab Loki by the lapels of his clothes, pulled him up above the floor, and sent him flying off to hit his back against the small cylindrical chamber in the middle of the room. With every step Pepper took toward Loki, the floor underneath her feet began to melt, leaving behind unrecognizable charred metal in its wake.

"You dare challenge me, a Makluan?" Pepper's voice had changed as well, resembling more like a combination of her voice and a raspy, male-sounding one. Loki stood up from the floor, holding onto the cylindrical chamber wall behind him, grinning widely in spite of the incoming threat.

"Now, this is interesting: a worthy challenger for the likes of me." As Loki regained his footing, his skin began changing color, turning into an icy blue, distinctive of the Frost Giants of Jötunheim. The power of the Ring of Ice the Mandarin had lent him enhanced his natural ability to control frost, just as the Casket of Ancient Winters had when back in Asgard.

"You are not a worthy challenger for a Makluan, Frost Giant."

Loki snickered, extending his arm and calling the specter back into his hand. "I'll take that bet."

"Very well," Pepper responded. "You will lose."

"We'll see."

xxxXXXxxx

"BRUCE!"

Natasha Romanoff ran toward the fallen form of Bruce Banner, recently struck by one of the soldiers that had slipped past the line of defense she and Hawkeye had formed around the scientist. Rhodey and Tony had taken to the skies, shooting bombs of Black Ice to any cluster of soldiers they could. Thor was jumping from one side to the other, bashing soldier's left and right with his hammer and turning any others in his way into nothing but ash. Steve fought close to Natasha and Hawkeye, not wanting to keep their skills in one place, but having no option if he wanted to make sure the two assassins and the doctor did not become fatally injured this time around.

"Natasha, watch out!" Hawkeye yelled at his partner when he turned around to follow her voice. The archer's quick reflexes landed two explosive arrows on the pair of soldiers that had intended to attack the Widow from behind on her way to Banner's still form.

"Dammit, Banner, what did they inject you with? We need Hulk!"

The scientist did not respond, and if it was not for her ear pressed against his nose to confirm there was still air flowing, she would have sworn he had been killed with the kick he had received. Even though they had told Bruce to stay behind them, the desperation of being useless to them had driven Banner to try and push the Hulk to come out by placing himself in danger. However, whatever he had been injected with was not allowing his plan to give the expected results; but, at least he was not dead…yet.

"Clint, he's passed out!"

Barton stole a quick glance at Natasha before he began walking in reverse to reach her current position. If before it had been problematic enough to watch over their own asses and Bruce's, with the doctor out of commission it was now going to become nearly impossible to remain safe for much longer.

Natasha cradled Bruce's head in her lap and it was then she realized the soldier had given Banner a good hit to the base of his head. Her outfit was quickly becoming stained with Banner's blood. "Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!"

"What? What is it?"

"He's bleeding!" She responded, taking out a handkerchief of her own and applying pressure to the wound on Bruce's head.

Again, Barton had time for only a swift glimpse toward Natasha and Bruce, but it was enough for his keen eye to determine the situation was not good at all. "Why couldn't we fight in the middle of an island? There's no place to hide out here!"

"I don't think it matters; these guys are stronger and better trained than the ones in Africa. We aren't getting out of this one alive."

Barton smirked as he released another enhanced, Black Ice-filled arrow toward the soldiers, which landed near them and took out a handful of furnaces with it. "I hope that's not why you told me you'd marry me after this."

Natasha could not help the chuckle that came out. "Hell, no! I'd have just said no, and get it over with; you know that."

The archer gave her a small smile and a nod, and Natasha reloaded her guns with Black Ice bullets, both readying for the next round.

xxxXXXxxx

Loki extended his right arm toward Pepper, calling upon the powers of the ring. The ring complied immediately, and beneath her feet a block of ice began to form. The inner layer of the frost melted upon contact with her skin, but Loki continued to cover her in ice nonetheless. His goal was not to stop her or hurt her, but to make sure she was ready for the task the Mandarin had waiting for her.

Pepper became enclosed in the block of ice for a few seconds, and when the ice melted completely, she charged toward the demigod with a speed that impressed even him. The punch never landed, however, as her body became paralyzed in midair, inches away from completing her attack. Loki gave her another smile as he took a step back before his head moved to the right when he noticed the bright light that signified his ally was using his teleportation ring to join the fight in the basement of the castle/ship.

"Mandarin," the God of Mischief began. "I was wondering how much longer you'd allow me to indulge in this fight. As you can see, the Makluan has taken its form." He pointed to Pepper with an open hand.

The Mandarin took slow steps toward him and Pepper's still paralyzed form. Behind him, Killian – still in the cage – was being dragged by two of the Mandarin's servants. Loki waited patiently for the man's response as he stared up and down at Pepper with a pleased look on his bearded face. "You are the most successful ally I have had in a long time, Loki of Asgard."

"I am honored," Loki placed a hand on his chest. "Then again, why would I even think of double-crossing he who will give me the army I need to take my revenge on those who have wronged me? Why would anyone be so unwise, I wonder?" He eyed Killian with a knowing smile.

"Because, we are _not_ men of pity, Loki. We just want what is rightfully ours," he pointed to his guest. "A throne," and then pointed to himself. "The full power of the Makluan rings."

As the Mandarin circled Pepper and took in the changes to her body, Loki walked toward the cage. He leaned forward slightly and chuckled at the visibly afraid man inside. "I told you he was watching you, mortal. I told you not to trust your eyes."

"Have you gotten control of her?" The Mandarin asked from behind Loki. Loki turned around with the grace only he could have, shook his head disappointedly and exhaled loudly.

"I'm afraid the power of the scepter is useless against her. Not even the ring of mental manipulation you lent me before helped. I was only able to manipulate the mortal, not her."

The Mandarin turned on his heels, stared at the ring he was using to keep Pepper paralyzed, and frowned. "She is not immune to the power of the rings. I have used them on her before, and just now," he said, referring to the paralyzed state Pepper was in. "I was certain the scepter would put her under our control."

"I thought the same. There must be something different; something must have changed since the mortal controlled her before. I doubt a Makluan would reject the power of rings of their own creation."

Both men turned to face Killian with questioning looks. Aldrich pushed himself toward the far end of the cage as if the move would somehow protect him from the wrath he could see coming to him. "Maybe it's because the virus has merged with her by now. When I controlled her to kill Stark, she had only had the virus for a year. It's been longer now; maybe the mind control does not work on her, anymore."

Neither man said anything that would indicate acceptance or challenge of Killian's weak explanation, making the Extremis virus creator to believe he was off the hook. However, when he felt electricity traveling through his muscles, he knew he had to do better than providing an unfounded explanation to the men before him. The shock caused his jaw to clench, which in turn caused his front teeth to break under the pressure of his forced bite. When the pain ended, Killian spat the blood and teeth remnants he had almost involuntary swallowed just seconds before.

"I…don't know…why…" He said between sobs. "I don't know why it stopped working, I swear!"

"You see," the Mandarin said. "This is what happens to chronic deceivers. After a few lies, you do not know what to believe."

"AAAAHHH!" Killian screamed when he felt the pressure on his head. Loki swore he saw the man's eyes pop out more than usual, causing some of the vessels in them to burst. Thankfully for Aldrich, his skull was left mostly intact when the Mandarin stopped his attack on him.

"I have worse techniques than these, Killian. Don't make me ask the question again."

Toothless, blind by bloody tears, and still twitching from the vestiges of electricity in his body, the once proud Aldrich Killian began sobbing like a child. "I…don't…know! I…_tried_…controlling her, too. But she won't…listen to me…anymore."

Loki narrowed his eyes and turned to face Pepper. He lifted his scepter and pointed it at her. As he had expected, the powers of mind control were useless on her, but that did not mean he could not read her mind. He tilted his head to his right and then his left before it finally dawned on him. "Ah! It's Stark's doing. Leave it to that pompous bastard to tag his mare."

"Tag?" Mandarin asked.

"Observe," Loki responded. He lifted the scepter high above his shoulders, and aimed the tip of it onto the back of Pepper's neck. In one swift movement, he punctured the skin and then scratched the small device out of her neck. The now obsolete device fell onto the floor before Loki's booted foot stepped on it. "Why don't we try this again?"

xxxXXXxxx

"Sir, the Quinjets are back online." Agent Galaga said from his post.

"All of them?" Fury asked with a hint of hope.

"No. The one piloted by Agent Hill has crashed, but the record shows the parachutes were deployed. Satellites are recalibrating and we will have visual on the landing site in about ten minutes."

"That's some good news. Get everyone ready for a direct attack. We're heading to the Valley of Spirits, now."

xxxXXXxxx

"You know, it totally looks worse from down here." Darcy took a step back and hid behind Agent Sitwell as he, Darcy and Maria stared at the fight taking place at least a quarter of a mile ahead of them. Selvig and Jane were on the ground, still attempting to fix the radio to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. If they were still up in the air with all of their equipment, they would have already accomplished their task. However, they were only able to get a handful of tools when they jumped out of the falling jet, so they were improvising on the spot.

"How long do you think it will take them to see us?" Maria asked no one in particular.

"Given that there is nothing else over here, it shouldn't take long…unless…" Sitwell responded.

"Unless, what?"

"Unless our luck is still bad," he pointed to the darkening sky.

"I hope that's just Thor."

The bright bolt of lightning that hit the ground made them cover their faces, and when they opened their eyes again, they were greeted by a friendly face. "Is everyone unharmed?"

The resounding voice made Jane's breath get caught in her throat.

xxxXXXxxx

The ring's power seized its toll over Pepper's body, and her feet gently found the floor once more. Everyone present in the spaceship's chamber held their breath, expecting Ember to restart her rampage but she simply remained silent and unmoving. The Mandarin and Loki stared at each other and then back at Killian before returning their attention to Pepper again.

"Do you know why you're here, Makluan?" Mandarin asked as he retrieved the ring of ice from Loki, and placed it back on his finger. Once the ten rings were together again, they emanated a glow that traveled all over the Mandarin's body, giving him an unearthly appearance.

"You have summoned me to assist you, Great Khan."

"Correct. Do you see that chamber over there? " The Mandarin pointed to the circular structure in the middle of the ship's room. "I need to retrieve what is inside."

Pepper turned around and stared at the room in question and nodded. "It is the security chamber of the ship. It can only be opened by performing…"

"The Ritual of Worthiness," the Mandarin finished the sentence for her. "I am aware, but as you know, the dragonseed bestowed upon me by your ancestor to wield the power of the rings makes me only half a Makluan."

"I understand." Pepper stared at Killian and pointed at him. "Is he the sacrifice?"

"I thought she'd never ask," Loki said.

* * *

**A/N:** Holy crap! So, the dragonseed idea came from the third to the last episode of season 2 of IMAA. I already had the idea of making Pepper a Makluan through DNA manipulation, and the dragonseed bit idea just reinforced the possibility. The description of Pepper's body is a combination of the Makluan from IMAA and an episode in which Rhodey and Pepper in IMAA are possessed by a fire Makluan temple guardian. To clear confusion, the Mandarin's "castle" is actually built around the remains of an alien starship that crashed in China in ancient times, which is where he found the ten rings in the comics. What do you think Jarvis' radar picked up? What do you think Banner was injected with? How about the twins? Who saw Gillian being a backstabber? Oh, so many questions, so little time. Don't forget to review!

**Story suggestion:** I usually don't recommend stories, unless I really like them, and this particular one is so effing funny, I just HAD to share it. If you need a laugh, stop by _Avengers: Truth or Dare_, by Team Damon. It's a LONG one-shot, but totally worth the time.


	35. Chapter 34

**A/N: **Well, that was the most uneventful response to a chapter! Was it because it was long? Confusing? Too many things going on? To those who took the time to make a comment, I thank you very much. Even the slightest notion of interest is the driving force for these chapters, and I could have not gotten this chapter out without them. We are coming to the end soon; I'm counting maybe two more chapters after this and then an epilogue…_if_ I can find the inspiration in me to finish this up.

* * *

**Chapter 34**

_ The room was lit only by a small candle on the mahogany desk where the manuscripts of Makluan history were scattered over in no particular order. The Mandarin was becoming impatient. Of the many years he had spent learning the ways of the advanced alien technology he had found in the Valley of Spirits, the most challenging part had been trying to understand the steps and purpose of the Ritual of Worthiness. At first, he had thought it was merely a rite of passage for a Makluan warrior, but the more he read, the more he realized the power of his ten rings was incomplete without the execution of said ritual._

_ "My Lord?" One of the Mandarin's servants – who usually went by the codename Gillian Smith – approached her master with a lowered gaze. "The scientists you requested are here. Should I let them in?"_

_ Mandarin looked up from his desk to stare at his most efficient retainer of all. With a single nod from her master, Gillian bowed her head before returning to the anteroom of the Mandarin's main chambers. A few seconds later, Gillian returned inside with Aldrich Killian and Maya Hansen in tow, showing them to their seats with an elegant wave of her hand._

_ "You must be the Mandarin," Killian said, extending his hand toward the Khan with one of his fake business-style smiles plastered on his face. Mandarin stared down at the extended arm and then at Killian but never raised his own hand to accept the handshake. Killian shrugged as he pulled back his arm and shared a quick glance with Maya. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm sure."_

_ "I assume you have been informed of the terms of this meeting."_

_ "Quite extensively, yes." Killian nodded. "Although, now that we've had a chance to meet you in person, I'm perplexed as to what exactly we can do for someone with practically unlimited resources such as yourself. We're merely geneticists, not historians or collectors of ancient relics." Killian motioned to the books with his chin._

_ "What I seek from you is a tool based on science; I am a scientist myself. My knowledge, however, is considered far too advanced for what is known and practiced today."_

_ Killian grinned and rested his elbows on the armchairs. "Ah! A man who pushes the boundaries of human capabilities! I'm starting to see why you called us here. It seems we both share an interest for breaching boundaries and venturing into the unknown."_

_ "So it would seem," Mandarin eyed Maya for a second, noting how uncomfortable she looked with the conversation and situation. "I am a scientist, and a man of business, which I have been informed you are as well."_

_ "They kind of go hand-in-hand, don't they?"_

_ "Indeed. I require your expertise in genetic engineering to devise a way to make someone become something they are not."_

_ Killian furrowed his eyes. "A clone, you mean? Or…something else?"_

_ "From what I understand, you are capable of altering the DNA structure of humans to regrow cells that are not typically unlimited in nature."_

_ "Well, you can say that. All the technology in the world hasn't been able to truly tap into the power of the human brain. My work…our work," he amended as he smiled at Maya. "Aims to reprogram the way the brain and DNA interact with each other to create or recreate what a body has lost, or is missing."_

_ "I am not interested in the sentimentality of reacquiring a lost extremity. What I want to know is if it is possible to take this concept further and reprogram an entire human DNA strand into something…not human."_

_ "Not human? Like, a lizard? I heard of a man who tried that once; didn't really go his way."_

_ "Something very close to that, in fact."_

_ Killian pulled away from the desk and rested his back against the chair cushion, eyeing the Mandarin with a doubtful look. When he had been told that a wealthy man in the Asian continent was interested in funding his research on extreme regenerative properties, he had initially thought it was probably some bored, Chinese magnate with too much time and money on his hands. Now, however, after seeing the location and condition of the castle and analyzing the current conversation, he was beginning to wonder just how much of a different undercover operation this was going to turn out to be._

_ Killian rested his laced hands on his lap and crossed his legs, his mind filling with a million questions, if's, then's and but's. "Mr. Mandarin; is that your name or…?"_

_ The Mandarin did not respond._

_ "Mandarin it is," Aldrich said to himself. "We're here because you're interested enough in our research to fund it with a very generous amount of capital; for which we are extremely grateful, I may add. But, you also need our research results to succeed so that you can obtain the specimen you seek. Do I correctly understand the mutual necessity?"_

_ Silence was the only response the Mandarin provided to the CEO of AIM._

_ "What exactly are we dealing with here?" Maya ventured to ask when neither man continued the overwrought conversation. The Mandarin stared at Maya and then at Killian with a stoic face. _

"_Before we continue, I must remind you that the price for betraying your benefactor is torture followed by death."_

_ "From everything we were told on our way here, that part stuck in my brain, for some reason," Killian said with a light tone in an attempt to defuse the tension that was building. "So, what do you have for us?"_

_ "The missing puzzle of your faulty genetic research; the piece that will make it work."_

_ Killian's eyes still showed his incredulity, but after several years of trying to crack the code of Maya's idea and continuing to be unsuccessful, he was willing to try anything. He knew Hansen was still aiming to get Tony Stark to join their team, but Aldrich refused to resort to being stood up once more. One day, Aldrich Killian would settle the score with Tony Stark and on his own terms, but today all he cared about was making sure his think tank's major project saw the light of day. "I'm all ears."_

xxxXXXxxx

The Helicarrier traveled as fast as it could to close the distance between their last position in the sky and the location of the battle. From his position, Nick Fury could already see the chaos developing below them in the form of rain, lightning, grenades, arrows, bullets, a flying shield, and repulsor rays aimed every which-a-way. Even in the midst of destruction, he was glad to see the weapons in actions because it meant his team was still alive and kicking.

"How much longer until the jets are scrambled down there?"

"Two minutes, sir."

"Let's make sure we get our people out of there before we drop the bombs."

"Will do."

_Let's see these motherfuckers get out of this one_, Fury thought as he loaded his weapon and headed to the hangar to board the Quinjet that would take him down to the action emerging beneath.

xxxXXXxxx

"_From all the places you could have gone off to, you chose to come here?" Mandarin asked his unexpected guest. The man had just walked inside his palace as if it belonged to him, none of his servants even noticing his presence until the Mandarin himself picked it up and only thanks to the rings. "You have some gall showing up here unannounced, Asgardian."_

_ "I meant no disrespect," Loki lifted his hands to either side of his face to show he was not armed. "I merely sensed the power you possess in my travel away from the chaos of the city of New York. I thought it would be prudent to investigate its origin."_

_ "Chaos that you yourself caused, as far I can see."_

_ Loki shrugged. "To bring about order, chaos must first occur, wouldn't you agree?"_

_ "I doubt that in your haste to avoid responsibility for the poor attempt at world conquest, you just happened to walk by my door to introduce yourself to me. Why don't we just cut to the chase and you tell me what it is that you seek here?"_

_ "A man of no nonsense; I can appreciate that. As I said before, the power you possess caught my attention. I was surprised to find someone who can manipulate nature in the way I can. However, what is more surprising to me is the fact that you are not using this ability for your benefit…yet."_

_ "And, you wonder what is stopping me? You hope to be of some assistance to the Mandarin? In exchange for what?"_

_ Loki narrowed his eyes at Mandarin, attempting to read his thoughts. When the only thought he was able to read from him was a warning to get out of his head, Loki stopped his action and gave the Mandarin a slight nod. "My apologies; it is sometimes easier to "cut to the chase," as you say, if I just find the information I need by my own means."_

_ "Are you seeking refuge from the ones who attempt to bring you to their pathetic version of justice?"_

_ "Not at all; they are not even aware I am still among them. The perks of my own abilities, you can say. Their actions are irrelevant to me at this point. I just thought that I'd have a discussion with you regarding what we can do for one another, seeing as I find myself with some time to spare."_

_ The Mandarin was not one to partner up with anyone, and if his recent experience with Killian was any indication, affiliating with others did not yield any good results. However, he also knew that comparing the likes of Aldrich Killian – a human – to Loki of Asgard –a god – was as just as comparing the usefulness of a lifejacket and a camel in the middle of the desert. In addition, Loki had managed to infiltrate his castle with no problem, and Mandarin had no doubt that if it came to him having to battle the Asgardian, he would find himself in some trouble. "What can you do for me?"_

_ Loki smiled at the Mandarin as he rested his back against the support of the chair he now sat in. "I can read Makluan," Loki eyed the manuscripts in the Mandarin's hands for a moment. "Which means: I can tell you what the Ritual of Worthiness entails."_

_ "This world is still mine for the taking."_

_ "Of course. I'm not interested in it any longer. My intention is to recoup a throne; a throne that is rightfully mine."_

_ "In that case, Asgardian, there's much to talk about."_

xxxXXXxxx

Gene Khan, after being evicted by his government due to his inability to make tax payments, found himself traveling in the forbidden frontier of his homeland –the Valley of Spirits. The territory had not been set foot in for centuries, so it was deemed to be a No Man's land. Gene had traveled there to find answers to his current predicament but he ended up finding something better than just the meaning of life. He found the remains of the alien spaceship that had been piloted by Axonn-Karr.

The dragon-like creature was of Makluan origin, and had traveled to Earth many years ago. The lack of visitors to the region had prevented anyone else from finding Axonn-Karr's vestiges, but Gene believed it had been meant for only him to find. With nothing to lose and nowhere to go, Gene set camp in the abandoned spaceship, learning all he could of the Makluan race. His natural ability to acquire knowledge with very little effort assisted him in understanding the inner workings of the craft, as well as the culture of the Makluan world.

One day, as he examined the spacecraft, Gene came about the source of the propulsion force of the ship: ten rings of power. The true supremacy of the rings were quickly learned by Gene, who made it his task to build an empire of his own surrounding the fallen ship to prevent others from discovering the source of his newfound glory. He made the surrounding villagers his servants, and they built for him the largest castle in the region, rivaled only by the one owned by the ruler of the republic he had been exiled from.

In his studies, he learned that each ring has a specific ability, and that each alien piece of technology complemented and enhanced the power of the other nine. He bestowed upon his left hand five rings: Ice Blast, Mento-Intensifier, Electro-Blast, Flame Blast and White Light. Upon his right hand, he decided to carry the other five rings: Black Light, Disintegration Beam, Vortex Beam, Impact Beam and the Matter Rearranger.

The Ice Blast ring allowed him to lower the temperature to almost absolute zero. With more practice, it also allowed him to control the cold weather from even occurring in the first place. The Mento-Intensifier ring permitted the Mandarin to control the minds of others, but only when close by. The Electro-Blast ring released electrical energy in quantities he determined, which was handy when resorting to torture to make his servants obey. The Flame Blast ring emitted infrared radiation strong enough to cause ignition of the air around it. The White Light ring proved to be quite effective when attempting to manipulate types of energy from the electromagnetic spectrum; his favorite ones being the visible lights and laser beams.

The Black Light ring helped Mandarin access the _Darkforce_ by creating an area of absolute darkness. He had found it helped send pesky obstacles to the void of another dimension in space when he had used it against the Chinese army that had dared believed it could stop him from reigning his patch of land in the Valley of Spirits. The Disintegration ring was one of his favorites on his right hand, allowing him to destroy anything or anyone he saw fit. The Vortex Beam ring he used mainly as a levitating device, but it could also cause air to swirl about in a vortex at rather high speeds. The Impact Beam ring produced concussive force of high intensity, create sonic vibrations and originate magnetic waves. Finally, the Matter Rearranger ring was capable of rearranging atoms or molecules of substances. This last ring seemed unimportant compared to the rest until Gene realized what it could do: transform a body, _any_ body, to the shape and form he so pleased.

However, despite the power of the rings, his hunger for power was not satiated, and in his continued studies he found the final piece of the puzzle that would make him whom he sought out to be. The Makluan headband, secured inside the circular room in the middle of the fallen ship, allowed the wearer to find the rings wherever they had been taken to, and to become one with the rings by transferring his consciousness and soul into them. With the headband at his disposal, death and old age would never be a concern for him ever again: his soul could live forever through the headband, and his body could rejuvenate in someone else's through the use of the Matter Rearranger ring.

Everything seemed to look up for the Mandarin until the challenge to obtain the headband occurred. The rings were not complete without the headband, but the headband had been sealed away for only a full Makluan to access when the time arrived. The Ritual of Worthiness needed to be performed for the room to release its hidden treasure, but only a true Makluan could perform the task. Mandarin had learned that his encounter with the spaceship had been his destiny as one of his ancestors had also wielded the rings, but without the aid of Axonn-Karr, the headband was out of reach to him. He had learned that his ancestor had used the rings while in life, but had eventually decided to store them away back inside the ship until a worthy wearer stumbled upon him.

It could have only been him.

Throughout the passing years, Mandarin's frustration grew. The rings responded to him, but the headband was yet out of his reach. Despite his best efforts, he was not able to fool the room into liberating the headband to him. He had almost given up hope; he had almost run out of time, until one day, Aldrich Killian appeared in his life. The man had promised him to use the Makluan knowledge and the DNA of Axonn-Karr that had been stored and cryogenically kept in the ship to create a creature worthy of opening the room. Mandarin waited, and waited, and then waited some more. As he reviewed the images of the ritual and only grasped very few steps, he waited for the one piece that was irreplaceable for the ritual to occur: the full Makluan soul.

However, the piece was never delivered to him, and instead Killian had used the knowledge for his own goals. Mandarin had been enraged, ready to take back what was his, resigned to never retrieve the headband…

But then Loki of Asgard had appeared. The ritual steps had been cleared up, and the Source of Makluan soul –Ember, had been born – created from the manipulation of a female's blood by science. His patience had paid off; his efforts had not been in vain. The headband was close to being his and with it the chance to rule the world. He only had to wait some more, and wait for long he could, for one thing he had learned since his exile was that great things came to those who patiently waited for them.

xxxXXXxxx

"I sense this human is a betrayer of the Makluan knowledge given to him," Pepper said as she walked closer to the cage where Killian was being kept. "We do not like traitors."

"Pepper, they made me do it! They made me do all of it!" Killian argued, trying to talk sense into Pepper, but her human side was long gone. When Pepper's face did not chance, Aldrich turned his head to Loki. "You! What is the Mandarin giving you? I'll double it! Triple it! Whatever it is, I'll give you a better offer!"

"You have no terms to negotiate, mortal. You cannot give me an army of Makluan soldiers capable of withstanding the force of Asgardians."

"Yes, I can! Why do you think Pepper is who she is now? I made her! I made her who she is! I can make more like her. Many, many more!"

"I grow tired of this man's insolence," Mandarin said. He walked closer to Pepper and on his trek to her he took off the rings, one by one. When he was about to hand them to Pepper, he put one of them back onto his finger and looked up. "It seems the stubborn buffoons are still here."

"I can take care of them for you," Loki said, but the Mandarin shook his head.

"No need. I can take care of them from here." Mandarin raised his hand toward the ceiling of the spaceship, and with a glow of his hand, his deed was completed.

xxxXXXxxx

Nick Fury, inside one of the Quinjets, neared the location of his team. He spotted Bruce, Natasha and Hawkeye first, and as he was about to call for their rescue, the alarms of the craft went off and the pilot of the jet spoke up.

"Sir, we have a problem."

"Son of a bitch! Now what?"

"It seems our system has been compromised," he pressed a few buttons on the console. "Our ability to remain in the air is intact, but our weapons are fried. We can't attack."

"What?"

"It appears as if an EMP hit us, and the other jet…and…"

"And what?"

"And the Helicarrier."

"Are you kidding? An EMP would've sent us crashing down to the ground; all of us." Fury argued.

"I don't know why it didn't, sir. But, our weapons system is fried."

xxxXXXxxx

_"I have a small task for you, Asgardian." Mandarin said as he neared Loki, standing by the balcony of the castle._

_ "A task? What is it?"_

_ "I have learned that the traitor has been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., but his ally is in prison. I need him exterminated, make it look like an accident. He has information he should not be privy to."_

_ "Makluan information?"_

_ "Yes. Can you do that?"_

_ "What is this ally's name?"_

_ "Justin Hammer."_

_ "Justin Hammer," Loki repeated and nodded to the Mandarin. "Consider it done."_

xxxXXXxxx

The first one to react was Jane, who ran towards Thor and jumped over him. The God of Thunder held onto her, forgetting for a quick moment the chaos behind them. "Are you unharmed, Jane?" He whispered to her. She nodded to him, kissed him on the cheek and then dropped her feet back on the ground.

"It's been so long, Thor."

"I am sorry for that, but I will make it up to you…later." He gave her one of his charming smiles, and Jane was left with no option but to forgive him for not returning to her sooner.

"And be sure to get a room for that, OK?" Darcy said from behind. "Can you get us out of here, like, _now_?"

"Indeed. Where to?"

"There," Maria pointed behind them as her eyes picked up the distinct figures of the two Quinjets hovering over the battle. Everyone followed the path her finger was aiming at, and they sighed in relief knowing there was a way to get out of the middle of the battle. "You may have to do two trips, though."

Thor stared at all of them and then at himself and smiled. "Nonsense. I can carry you all at once."

"How?" Agent Sitwell asked, not entirely sure the Thunderer could pull it off, but his doubts were overridden when a cluster of Extremis soldiers noticed them on the ground.

"I'll take my chances," Darcy said, walked behind Thor and jumped on his back, holding onto him by surrounding his neck with her arms. Selvig held onto Thor's left arm and Jasper onto his right one. Jane held onto his neck from the front, and Maria joined Darcy on his back.

"Hold on tight," Thor said as he spun Mjölnir in his hand before sending them all flying up and away from the incoming Mandarin servants on the ground.

xxxXXXxxx

The Mandarin lowered his hand, a satisfied smirk on his face. "They will not bother us." He said with finality before turning to his servants that had carried Killian's cage. "Leave, now." The servants hastily left the premises, not wanting to be part of the situation at hand. The Mandarin took off the last ring of power from his hand and handed all ten rings to Pepper. She took her time putting them on, and when they were all on her fingers, she looked up to stare at Killian.

"No, Pepper, please…please don't…" Aldrich begged but it meant nothing to anyone around. She grabbed onto the metal of the wired cage and without much effort the metal heated up until it began to melt. Killian tried to avoid being burned by the heat, but there was nowhere to run. Once the cage was nothing more than melted metal, Pepper grabbed Killian by his leg and began dragging him toward the cylindrical room in the middle of the ship.

Loki and Mandarin watched in amusement as Killian tried to stop his body from being taken to whatever ritual as about to take place. He was not sure of the details of it, but the word _sacrifice_ did not entail all participants of a ceremony living to tell the tale. His nails dug onto the metal floor, but his efforts only proved to break his nails off his fingers rather than slowing down the trek to his destiny.

"Will his blood suffice?" Mandarin asked Loki, who had read the Makluan manuscripts in more detail that he. "He is no longer carrying the virus he created that resembles a weak version of the Makluan blood."

"That is even better," Loki responded. "The more tainted the blood of the sacrifice is, the more effective the ritual will be. The idea is that a pure Makluan offers soiled blood to open the room. Makluan were not fond of half-breeds."

"Very well," Mandarin agreed with the Asgardian's statement.

"Pepper! PLEASE! I don't want to die! I don't want to…AGH!" Killian's pleas ended when Ember lifted him off the floor and pressed him against the wall of the cylindrical chamber. With one clawed finger she mercilessly made a hole through Killian's neck, allowing his blood to trail down to the carving on the floor surrounding the locked room. Once the blood circled around the carving until it was full and Killian was dead, the second part of the ritual would begin.

Despite the blank look in her eyes, she could hear inside her head a tiny voice, growing louder and louder by the minute. Ever since her transformation took place, the voice had been annoying her, but since she had not been able to understand it at first, she had ignored so far. However, while the voice was still merely a whisper, she could hear the single word it repeated over and over again. The word had no meaning to the Makluan, at least not one she could easily recollect, but for some reason, the last instance of the word resounding in her head made her flinch for a brief instant, and had Killian been staring directly at her, he would have noticed the slight hesitation in her face.

_Who the hell is Tony?_

xxxXXXxxx

"There he is! Open the gate!" Nick Fury ordered when he saw Thor flying directly towards them. The pilot slammed his open hand on the red button that dislodged the locking mechanism of the back of the jet, and a few seconds later the God of Thunder was landing inside with his party in tow. Everyone except Jane released themselves from the Thunderer, before rushing toward the front of the jet to be as far away as possible from the still open gate of the craft.

"Jane, I must return to battle to aid my friends."

"I know, I know." Reluctantly, Jane pulled back from him. She had not seen Thor in ages, and she wanted nothing more than to hold on to him for as long as she could, but this was not the time. The Asgardian winked at her one last time before he directed his attention at Fury.

"I shall bring the rest of them here."

"Start with Banner, Romanoff and Barton. They're the closest ones."

"Will do."

Thor turned around on his heels and jumped off the Quinjet, directed Mjölnir toward his destination, and in the blink of an eye he found himself landing in front of the Hawk. "It is time for us to retreat, Clint Barton."

"I could've told you that an hour ago. Take Natasha and Banner, first. I can hang around here for ten more seconds."

Thor nodded to the archer before he rushed toward a still unconscious Banner and the Widow who was having trouble keeping the soldiers at bay. She had already run out of ammo, and was resorting to using Banner's guns he had been forced to bring with him as her last line of defense.

"Is Bruce in need of medical attention?"

"Maybe. They hit his head pretty bad."

"Would I injure him further if we move him?"

"No, take him. Come back for me later."

"But, Hawkeye said…"

"He's not your boss or mine. Take Banner first."

Thor purses his lips in obvious disapproval of her actions, but there was no sense in arguing. He took Banner from the ground and perched him over his shoulder before they both disappeared behind a cloud of sand. Natasha ran toward Hawkeye and pressed her back against him, causing the archer to groan in anger.

"What the hell are you still doing here? I told Thor to take you!"

"And leave you behind with these bastards? I don't think so. It will only be a second, don't worry."

"You're so fucking stubborn you know that?"

"Yes, kettle, you're black, too," she responded before adding. "Let's find Steve. We need to take him with us."

"Ready to make a run for it?" Hawkeye asked when he found Steve fighting soldiers a few feet away from them.

"I was ready yesterday," she stole a line from Rhodey's book, before they both made their way to the super soldier. If Thor was going to come back for them, might as well take them all at once.

xxxXXXxxx

When the last drop of blood was drained from Killian's body, Pepper held onto it with both of her hands and began heating it up. The intensity of the fire was much greater than what she had ever done before, and in just a few minutes, there was nothing left of Aldrich but his memory and scattered ash. After wiping her hands clean of his blood, Pepper placed her palms on the outer walls of the room she was to open for the Mandarin. She closed her eyes as energy began to flow from the rings to her body and then encircled the round room. She began whispering a chant in Makluan that only Loki understood. When the God of Mischief's mouth turned up into a smile, the Mandarin knew that he was moments away from becoming the most powerful being on Earth.

xxxXXXxxx

The three Avengers held onto Thor with all their strength, barely missing the last ditch effort by a group of servants to bring them down. The only two Avengers left in the air were Rhodey and Tony, but thanks to their suits they were at a safe distance from the ruckus below. The Asgardian landed inside the Quinjet once more, and the Widow, the Hawk and the soldier released their deathly grip on him.

Maria and Steve exchanged a look of relief only they noticed before Steve became all-business once more. "Why don't we drop some Black Ice on them?"

"What about Rhodey and Tony?" Darcy asked, pressing her face onto one of the windows to make sure the two armored Avengers were still high up in the air. "That won't affect them, right?"

"They should be fine," Fury said. "But let's bring them here, just in case."

Thor understood the silent directive of the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. and jumped off the jet once more. A minute later, he returned with Iron Man and War Machine in tow, their faceplates lifting up immediately after their metal-cladded feet hit the floor of the jet.

"They have Pepper," said Tony. "I don't know where they took her, can you find her?"

"Our radars and weapons were fried," Fury shook his head. "What are we dealing with here?"

"Loki!" Rhodey spat. "He's here! He took Pepper to the Mandarin."

"Thor, what do you know?"

"My brother seeks to obtain an army, greater in numbers and strength that the one below. Father thinks he has made a pact with a Makluan."

"Makluan? You know about them?" Selvig asked.

"Verily. Their race is known for being most despicable, but they have never dared to cross Asgard."

"Why? It's because you're stronger than them, right?" Widow asked, hoping that the Makluan were not as invincible as everyone was painting them to be. Thor opened his mouth to answer her question, but instead he tilted his head for a moment and then gave her a wide smile.

"Widow! Congratulations! I did not know you are with child!"

Everyone's head snapped to stare at her and then at Hawkeye, whose jaw had hit the floor and his eyes threatened to fall out of their sockets. "WHAT?!" The arrow Barton had been holding in his hands broke in two.

"Who?" Jane asked, staring left and right.

"When?" Fury inquired.

"Uhm…how did you…?" Natasha could not form a proper sentence.

"Tash! You told me you weren't pregnant! You told me we were out of trouble!" Rhodey spat, metal finger pointing at her, and not realizing in his anger that what he had said out loud did not sound as ordinary as it had in his head.

"You…uhm…trouble? YOU? TWO? TROUBLE?" Hawkeye asked incoherently, pointing at Rhodey and Natasha with accusatory fingers. "Are you…Oh, God! Is this why you wouldn't marry me?"

"Holy shit! You two are getting married?" Tony asked, confused and amused by the situation all at once.

"You got Natasha pregnant?" Darcy asked from her spot.

"What?" Rhodey spat. "Why would you think…Oh! No! She told me she thought she was but she told me not to say anything!"

"Rhodey, you're not helping," Natasha said through gritted teeth. "I…I'm _not_ pregnant…"

"But, you _are_!" Thor insisted, his voice resounding louder than the battle below them. "We Asgardians have long developed the ability to sense these situations."

"I AM NOT…"

"Will everyone stop screaming?" Banner yelled as he slowly regained consciousness, holding onto the back of his head. "What the hell is everyone yelling about?"

"You!" Rhodey walked up to Bruce. "You let Natasha come here when you knew she's pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" Bruce shook his head. "She's pregnant? I didn't even know!"

"The hell you didn't! She asked you for a blood test!"

"What? What blood test?"

"I DIDN'T!" Natasha yelled over Rhodey's angry words. "I lied to you, Jim. I never told Banner about it!"

The confession made War Machine turn around and walk up to her. "But…why? I can't believe…you lied to me! What were you thinking?"

"I didn't know I was pregnant! The last test was broken when Killian was taken away!"

War Machine lowered his faceplate and ordered Jarvis to scan her via ultrasound vision, the results confirming she was expecting after all. When his faceplate lifted again, he shook his head at her. "Dammit, Natasha! What the hell are you doing here?"

"So, whose is it?" Tony asked, temporarily forgetting there was a fight outside.

"What do you mean _whose _is it?" Natasha spat.

"Well, correct me if I am wrong, but I think it sounds like Rhodey might have some involvement here."

"What?" It took all of Natasha's willpower not walk up to Tony to smack him upside the head.

"Nat," Hawkeye said after shaking himself off his stupor. "What's going on?"

Widow sighed loudly, cursing inside at the terrible situation that just seemed to be getting worse. "It's yours, Clint. Now, can we move on?" Her words echoed in the now very small-feeling craft, and while the short moment of confusion had taken their minds off the situation at hand, the battle was not yet won.

xxxXXXxxx

The room became brightly lit by the energy emanating from Pepper and the cylindrical room. The Mandarin and Loki closed their eyes but stood their ground as the spaceship's metal vibrated with the resonance of power pouring out of the center of the room. Once the room became deadly quiet once more, and the light disappeared, both men opened their eyes to see the walls of the once impenetrable room beginning to slide open.

Once the room revealed its treasure levitating in the middle of the small confinement, Pepper stretched her hands toward the headband. It was colorful as the rings were, and it shone brightly against the light in the craft. Mandarin's hands itched with anticipation, and he walked towards Ember. Pepper held the headband in her hands, turned around on her heels to offer it to Mandarin but instead she gasped.

"No," she mumbled when she felt the energy rushing through her from the headband. Her eyes opened wide and she began to shake. Her skin became darker and redder than before until it was difficult to stare directly at her. The Mandarin and Loki covered the faces with their hands when the light emanating from her became unbearable, and after a loud scream from her the room's lighting returned to normal.

When the two men were able to regain their grip on their sight again, the scene before them was one they did not expect. Gone was Pepper from the room and with her the rings and the headband as well. In her place, where her feet had once been, was nothing more than black and red ash, where her body, her soul, and the Makluan devices - all eleven of them - had become nothing but dust.

Memories, and ash; just what Killian had become, too.


	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Darcy rubbed her temples, her head spinning with the large amount of information they had all just received in the span of a few minutes. She pulled her gaze away from the shocked-looking heroes and stared outside. Her eyes were glued to the soldiers beneath them as they stared up at the Helicarrier and Quinjet, possibly plotting a way to bring them down. To her surprise, the deserted scenery behind the mass of servants began changing before her eyes, resembling the image of a faulty television screen receiving static from satellites.

_What the hell?_

She pulled her face closer to the window, rubbing her eyes under her glasses to make sure she was not being tricked. Her mouth went agape when the static ended to reveal the treasure that had been hidden behind.

"Holy crap!"

The tone in which she had uttered her disbelief caught the attention of everyone else; turning their faces to stare at her back and wonder what had caught the interest of the hyperactive grad student. Maria, who was closest to Darcy, walked behind her and peeked over her shoulder. In an instant, her face mimicked Darcy's before she snapped her head back to look at the rest of the team. "The castle is there!"

"What castle?" Steve responded and joined the rest of the team as they scattered throughout the jet to find an available window to look down.

"What the hell?" Fury mumbled.

"Pepper was right," Tony said. "It's been here all this time."

"But, why can we see it now, and not before?" Rhodey wondered aloud.

"I don't think we'll like the answer to that question," Bruce said, shaking his head. "I'd hate to have to face whatever was keeping up that illusion and is now too busy doing something else…or…"

"Do you think this means the Mandarin is dead?" Natasha asked.

"I doubt it," Jane answered.

"Maybe Loki betrayed this Mandarin person?" Thor offered, tightening his grip on his hammer at the angry thoughts that crossed his mind thinking about his brother's actions.

"That wouldn't surprise me," Barton spat.

"Well, at least we can see where Pepper is now," Tony said as he lowered his faceplate and made his way to the back gate of the jet.

"Stark, where do you think you're going?" Fury snapped at the genius.

"Isn't obvious? I'm going to go get Potts."

"Are you insane?"

"Most of the time."

"Wait!"

"For WHAT? That's all we've been doing! Waiting! I can't wait anymore!"

"So, what? Are you gonna just barge in there and take her out? Do you really think it's gonna be that easy?"

"What else am I supposed to do, huh?"

"Let's just…think for a moment. If Loki is there, who knows what else is waiting for us." Bruce reasoned. He too wanted to jump into action to rescue Pepper, but at this point they could not afford to just attack without a plan. "Clearly, they have the advantage," Banner continued, attempting to bring sense onto his friend. "They have Pepper, and Loki is helping, and they have magical rings we don't understand yet…AND," he pointed to his neck. "They found a way to suppress the Hulk. They've really thought this through."

Tony exhaled loudly, hating to accept it but agreeing with Bruce's logic. "Fine, alright! But if no one gives me a plan in the next two minutes, I'm heading out."

The pilot of the jet cleared his voice, catching the attention of the team. "We could, uhm…_dump_ the weapons we…we…brought?"

"What?" Fury asked.

"Well," the agent began, gaining more confidence with every word he spoke. "We lost the ability to _aim_ and automatically drop them, but if the jets are still floating, that means some of the weapons should still work, right?"

"Are there more bombs in the other jet?" Jasper asked, willing to give the pilot's idea a try.

"Yes; half here, half there, roughly."

Tony did not need to hear anything more. "Who needs a ride?"

xxxXXXxxx

"This was not supposed to happen," Mandarin stared in disbelief at the pile of ash on the floor. "She was pure, was she not? She should have not been rejected!"

"I don't understand," Loki furrowed his brows. "The scripts do not mention anything about this. Maybe the mortal did not deliver a pure specimen?"

"An impure Makluan would have not been able to open the chamber in the first place. Maybe she was not supposed to have the rings on?"

"No, she had to. Without the rings the headband would have not appeared. The chamber would have shown to be empty."

"My Lord?" One of Mandarin's servants uttered from the door. "We have a problem."

"What is it now?" Mandarin turned around to face the man.

"It appears the castle is visible to…"

_BOOM!_

The ship rattled with the sound of an explosion. Mandarin and Loki stared at the other with knowing looks; the battle they had been trying to keep at bay was before them. "Secure the castle. Everyone needs to protect this chamber. They cannot come here."

"Yes, my Lord," the servant responded as he was already making his way out of the room to inform his peers of the master's orders. The Mandarin kneeled down next to the ash and began spreading the dust around to try to find the rings. Loki inhaled deeply at the realization that another one of his plans had failed. He tightened his grip on the scepter and walked up to the entrance of the ship. If he wanted a last chance at making their plans work, he would have to stand his ground. The Master of Mischief placed his body in a defensive stance, ready to stop whoever or whatever crossed that door, even if it came in the form of his brother, Thor.

xxxXXXxxx

The creators of the concept of an assembly line would have been proud of the Avenger team right about now. The group had split into two squads: in one jet were Fury, Jasper, Steve, Darcy, and Jane; in the other were Maria, Selvig, Bruce, Natasha and Clint. Each group inside the craft sorted through the available ammunition, separating the ones that worked and the ones that did not, and handed the working ones to their assigned _pitcher_. The Quinjet that Fury directed was pitched by Thor, while the Quinjet that was directed by Maria was pitched by Rhodey. War Machine and Thor's job was to aim the usable weapons, throw them to the ground, and use either the hammer or a repulsor to make them explode once near the Extremis army.

Tony had left the team a few minutes ago, and had headed to the Helicarrier to relay the plan of attack to the agents there. In a few minutes, the remaining jets would be deployed from the carrier, and all twenty crafts plus the Helicarrier itself would begin dropping all their available weapons in the same manner the two scouting jets were doing so far.

"I'm done, Fury. Stark, out!" Tony managed to tell the team in his brief stop to the jet before he flew into action. As he hovered over the desperate army of servants, he dumped a few well-placed Black Ice grenades in order to thin out the herd, and caused enough chaos around him to cover his crash into the castle grounds.

_Hold on, Pep. I'm almost there._

He landed inside the top level of palace, through the balcony, and used the annexing walls to slow down his landing. He quickly stood up and began scanning the area, trying to pick up the heat signals of 2.0's. _There's so many of them; the entire fucking place is filled with furnaces!_

Tony activated his flight stabilizers and began his search for the missing team member, not caring that he was destroying the castle as he did so. His only mission was finding his wife, and he would do so even if the structure ended up crashing down over them. He knew Pepper could survive a imploding building, and his armor would definitely give him a chance to do so as well.

xxxXXXxxx

"Found anything?" Loki asked, trying to stabilize himself when the underground spaceship shook again. "The explosions are getting closer."

"They're gone," Mandarin spat. "They are _all_ gone!"

"Damn," Loki whispered ahead of an even louder explosion. The Mandarin stood up from the ground and headed to a back room of the spaceship. He opened the door to reveal a small storage of weapons. He grabbed a double-edged sword, which he then split into two before turning around to the front of the room.

"Getting ready?" Loki asked over his shoulder, watching the leader of the castle approach his location. "_He_'s coming to get her."

"I'm sure. If anything good shall come out of this disappointment, it will be the look on his face when he realizes he is too late."

"I can live with that."

xxxXXXxxx

"Get. OFF. ME!" Iron Man yelled as he peeled off yet one more Extremis servant from his suit. He knew he had to be getting close to where Pepper was being kept since the deeper he got into the castle, the more servants got in his way. He remembered Pepper mentioning something about being underground in her dream; way below the sand, and his earlier joke about it being a basement was turning out to be not so funny after all.

"Jarvis, suit status report."

"The suit's arc reactor is at 58% capacity. Weapon ability reduced to 15%. Structural damage at 35% - the suit's integrity is compromised, sir. The Mark XLV will not hold on much longer."

"We'll it's gonna have to. At least until I can find Pepper. Any luck?"

"The amount of soldiers present is making it difficult to pinpoint her whereabouts. I have tried using the new algorithm I created for her, but so far it has failed to locate her."

"Failing because it's a prototype or because she might be…gone?"

"The data does not support either possibility, sir."

"I didn't program you to lie, J."

"I learned that all on my own."

Tony chuckled. "Well, you suck at it."

"The constructive criticism has been recorded. Evasive maneuvers activated."

"Shit!" Iron Man was hit by a shrapnel grenade similar to the one that had nearly caused him to die back in Afghanistan. He activated his electromagnetic shield to protect himself from the worst part of the blast, but the use of the shield came at a cost.

"Arc reactor capacity reduced to 35%."

"C'mon Pep. Where are you?"

Tony stopped his flight in midair and looked around him. It appeared he had reached a garden in the middle of the palace, which to him it seemed strange to have in such a remote location in the godforsaken desert. The servants were running towards Iron Man once they had realized he was a standing target, but Tony had other ideas in mind.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?"

"How many levels do you think are below us?"

"We seem to be halfway down the structure, sir."

"Well, let's take a shortcut."

"Reverting power to chest RT," Jarvis said, anticipating the order of his creator.

"Like I said before," Tony said as he felt the chest piece firing up. "You can read my mind, Jarvis."

xxxXXXxxx

"This one is the last of the Black Ice; here!" Jasper yelled over the chaos below, throwing the grenade toward Thor. The God of Thunder knocked the weapon to the desert floor below with a swift movement of his hammer, but the servants were ready for the attack. Before the grenade hit its target, one of the soldiers jumped up high, propelled by his peers. He aimed toward the incoming bomb, grabbed it in his hand, and threw it back towards Thor. The Thunderer tried to stop the impact from reaching the jet behind him, but the blast near him caused his grip on Mjölnir to loosen.

"No!"

The hammer was aiming directly toward the ceiling of the Quinjet, undoubtedly able to crash the jet by destroying the rotors. Everyone inside the jet froze for a moment until Steve jumped high in the air and cushioned the blow of the hammer with his chest and arms. Jasper and Fury up against Steve's back to slow him down, causing only minor damage inside the jet.

"Are you alright?" Darcy asked the trio as they stood up from the floor of the jet.

"Yeah; that was close," Steve mumbled, holding the hammer in his hands. "You know, I thought it would be heavier." He walked to the edge of the craft to find Thor on the ground below, his eyes wide when he saw Steve holding Mjölnir in his left fist. "We're OK" Steve yelled as he dropped the hammer back to Thor. "Carry on!

Thor's precious weapon made it back to its owner again, but not without leaving a shocked demigod in its wake, and leaving an unsuspecting super soldier unaware of the new light the Asgardian now saw him in.

xxxXXXxxx

Loki and the Mandarin had been expecting the intruders to reach the chamber via the only door in the room, so when the blast came from above them, they both lost their footing and hit the floor with a loud thud. Loki lost his grip on the scepter in the blast, but at this point he knew it would prove useless to him in a battle against the mortals or the brute, if he even showed up. The shot of adrenaline suppressant he had given Bruce when he took Pepper during the Jericho blast was supposed to last for at least two days, so he doubted he had to worry about Hulk wanting to smash him onto concrete again.

As the dust settled, Iron Man was flanked on the left by Loki, and the right by Mandarin. The two men were still partially startled by the explosion, but were aware enough to know trouble had just knocked on their door.

"Where is she?" Tony stared left and right as Jarvis scanned the area for Pepper's location. "Where IS Pepper?"

"Hn," Mandarin tightened his grip on his swords and walked up to the circular chamber in the middle of the room, Tony's eyes glued to his every move. "Do you see that pile of ash?" He pointed to it with his sword. "That used to be the Source. She is no more."

Iron Man stared at the dust on the ground and then to his left to glare at Loki. The demigod just shrugged at him. "She didn't make it after all. I don't suppose you can fix her now."

"Jarvis?" Tony whispered inside his helmet. "Report?"

"I'm sorry, sir." The AI said in a low tone after confirming the ash emanated the same EM waves Pepper did when alive. Tony closed his eyes and swallowed the knot in his throat before opening his eyes once more.

"So be it. Jarvis, initiate protocol FTS."

"Are you certain, sir? The odds of you making it out alive are quite in your favor if you retreat now."

"They may be, but…without Pepper…If my kids make it…that's all that matters."

"Very well, sir."

Iron Man raised both of his closed hands toward the hole he had just made. From the top of the forearm part of the gauntlets, four thin devices, two on each hand, popped up and aimed toward the sky.

"Leaving so soon, Stark?" Loki jested, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of giving the genius a piece of his mind and misinterpreting Tony's position for an escape-preparation stance.

"You wish," Tony responded before the flares were released. The four devices sped their way up and out the palace, and once they reached their highest point, they immediately fell down to the ground on opposite points of the land surrounding the castle, and simultaneously exploded with such magnitude even the servants stopped in mid-fight. The gas cloud that emanated from their explosion was so thick and grey it was difficult for the soldiers to realize what had just occurred.

At least until those closest soldiers to the blast began dropping like flies.

xxxXXXxxx

The sound of the explosions made everyone in the jets freeze. The sand that was being lifted off the ground forced Thor and Rhodey to return to the jets, and left them no option but closing the hatches behind them. Again, the team rushed to the nearest available window and watched in awe as the gas cloud grew thicker and thicker.

"What the hell is that?" Selvig asked.

"Is that another Jericho bomb?" Maria inquired. Natasha and Clint just shrugged; they were as clueless as the other members of S.H.I. .

Bruce, however, knew exactly what the attack meant. He shook his head at the scene, gripping onto the edge of the windowsills and looked down. "Pepper's gone."

"What?" Rhodey snapped his head to the right.

"That attack…it came from Tony. It means Pepper's gone."

"I don't understand," Maria said. "What does this have to do with Pepper? Is this a sign of retreat?"

"No. It means Tony has nothing to lose."

"What do you mean? What is he…? What's this gas all over the place?" Natasha asked.

"That is a lethal version of the cure."

"Lethal? Cure? LETHAL?" Selvig spat. "Is he going to kill us all?"

"No, we're fine. But the soldiers down there…anyone with a hint of Extremis, is not going to be."

Everyone's eyes returned to the scene, and now that the sand was settling, it was clear what Bruce had meant. The cluster of soldiers that had been closest to the blast were now lying on the ground, still and turning black. Their bodies then began to disintegrate and produced a vapor that joined the original gas cloud and made it grow larger by the second.

"Tony combined the cure we made with the Black Ice to create a super bomb. It cures the host of the virus by giving it a version of the virus that attacks the infected cells, just the way the polluted virus that Tony infected himself with did to him. The two viruses are not compatible at all, and combined with the Black Ice it causes the Extremis to attack the host in the form of massive necrosis to try and take over again. The body then disintegrates and the vapors released contain the leftover of the cure, and it transfers itself to another host in an airborne manner. It will stop only when every Extremis soldier down there is dead."

"So," Maria whispered. "Stark wouldn't have released it unless…"

"Unless, Pepper's safety was not a concern anymore." Bruce confirmed.

"Is he coming back?" Rhodey asked aloud even though he knew the answer to his question.

"Not unless we go get him out of there."

"Should we?" Selvig asked, unsure of wanting to waltz into a fight of a man who had just lost the will to live.

"I think we should," Clint said, already on his way toward the back of the jet. Natasha tried to follow him but one look from Rhodes, Bruce and Barton was all it took for her to resign her pregnant self to remain inside the craft.

"Fine, but make sure you get him back."

By the time War Machine stepped out of the craft with Barton in tow, Thor - with a dangling Steve in his hand – was also exiting the other jet. The four of them exchanged information during their flight above the falling soldiers below them, and rushed toward the origin of where the flares had come from: the gaping hole in the middle of the palace.

xxxXXXxxx

Iron Man lowered his arms and they fell to his sides for a quick moment before he raised them again and aimed them at the Mandarin and Loki, releasing a repulsor attack that sent them both flying off. Loki recovered quicker than the Mandarin, and ran toward Tony. He grabbed the billionaire by his neck and lifted him off the ground. "Does this seem familiar, Stark? There's no suit waiting for you now, is there?"

Tony did not have a chance to answer the question as Loki sent him flying toward the back wall. Before Tony could get up, the demigod ran to him once more and smashed Tony's helmet against the wall, holding it in place with one hand as the other worked to peel off the suit from Iron Man. The billionaire tried to push the angry god away from him in any way he could, but his most powerful weapons were now offline. The only chance he had was to use his chest RT, but it would leave his suit useless afterward.

"Does it pain you to know you were too late to save your woman? Your tag on her did not work. She died not knowing who she was! Not even knowing or _remembering_ you!"

"Shut…UP!" Tony managed to grab Loki's collar, but it did him no good other than enraging the God of Mischief even more. Loki responded to Tony's words by pressing deeper into the helmet, causing the pressure breach alarms to go off. Despite Tony's resignation to die in the field, Jarvis refused to follow his creator's orders of protocol FTS and activated the self-preservation code, causing the chest RT to power up and attack the unsuspecting god.

Loki was sent flying back, grunting and cussing out the man he had learned to loath. Tony fell to the ground on his knees; the suit of armor immediately releasing its user. The Mark XLV was now inoperable, leaving the genius to fend for himself. "Why did…you do that…Jarvis…?" Tony asked via his earpiece to the remnants of his suit-enabled AI, slowly recovering his breath.

"Back up is on its way, sir. Protocol FTS is only completely valid when there are no options left."

"Since when did you become so good at loopholes?"

"I've been programmed to protect you, sir."

"But now…I have no suit. The _can_ is gone…now I'm just a…_man_…"

"My sensors indicate the Mark XLIV is on its way."

"Well, let's see what I can do until it gets here, huh? Maybe take someone down with me."

The Mandarin was just now recovering from Tony's attack, and using his swords as crutches he stood up from the ground. He walked toward the fallen hero, practically snarling at him where he lay. "You! Why is it that you live to destroy my plans?"

Tony chuckled, and despite his tired spirit and blood all over his face and body, he still had enough swag in him to mock the villain before him. He slowly stood up from the floor, using the wall behind him for support. "Don't flatter yourself, Mandarin. I have time to spare."

"Words are all you've got left, Stark. Words will not save you this time."

"Yeah, well," Tony shrugged. "I lost my suit and you lost your rings. I think that kinda makes us even."

"I do not need my rings to end your life."

"Really? What are you gonna do? Have your bodyguard over there kill me?" Tony pointed toward a now standing Loki. "Or, are you gonna choke me with your robes? They're not very in style anymore you know? You should take them off."

"He's stalling," Loki said, walking closer to the duo, but the Mandarin raised his hand at the demigod.

"Leave him to me. Tony Stark will die by the hand of the Mandarin."

"As you wish," Loki retreated and kept his distance from the two moguls.

"My honor mandates that I inform you why you are to die. If you live, I cannot rule the world, and it's my destiny to rule it and everyone." Mandarin threw his swords behind him, not caring where they fell. He then tore his robes off him, leaving him only in his pants and boots. Tony had expected the old man to be scrawny underneath, wrinkled even, but it was only pure and thick muscle that was hiding underneath the robes.

"You know, on second thought," Tony began, scratching his right earlobe. "You can leave the drapery on."

Mandarin responded to Tony's taunting by punching him in the stomach. Tony doubled over in pain but refused to give the terrorist the pleasure of screaming in agony. He then stood up from the floor once more, and raised his fists in front of his chest. "I can kick your ass, but only if you ask nicely."

The Mandarin tried connecting a punch on Tony once more, but Tony evaded it, leaving the Mandarin to punch the wall behind Tony. Tony then took a few steps away from the enraged man before he recovered and plunged toward the scientist. While it was true that Gene Khan was an expert martial artist, it seemed Tony's combat practice with Pepper was finally paying off.

"It seems I can take my leave," Loki whispered to himself, seeing Mandarin and Stark were busy fighting each other. It was clear to the demigod that the rings were gone, and with Killian dead, he was not getting the army he had been promised he would receive. "Might as well."

The demigod took a step back and then another, and before he was ready to turn on his heels to leave the premises, he was surprised by an attack from behind. He looked down to his chest only to see the tip of his scepter coming out of his front. He felt a metal hand pushing him back, digging the scepter deeper in him.

"Hurts like hell, doesn't it?" The voice of the man behind him asked him before he pulled the scepter out of the injured sorcerer. Loki took a few steps forward, holding onto his bloody chest before he turned around to face the Mark XLIV before him.

"How?" Loki looked back to see the fight still taking place between Tony and Mandarin. He then turned to the decommissioned Mark XLV on the ground before returning his attention to the Mark XLIV. "How did you hide from me?"

"A little something called Extremis 3.0 that a friend made for me. He even let me borrow his ride."

"The air is clean of the Black Ice cure in this area. You are safe to breathe without the aid of the filter." Jarvis said as the helmet pulled back to show the face of Phil Coulson.

"You?" Loki all but snarled. "I thought you were nothing more than a stump."

"Yeah, well, science and all that. Now, you can either give up now, or I can leave you to the incoming demigod. I think he's gonna be happy to see you. Oh, and by the way. You can't hide from me. Jarvis can see the entire range of the spectrum you can sneak your way around in."

"How dare you give orders to me? I'll make sure there's nothing left of you this time!" Loki launched himself toward Coulson, but the agent was stronger and faster thanks to the version of Extremis Jarvis had created for him. With the scepter still in his hands, he ducked the incoming attack and swung the weapon at Loki's legs, flipping the demigod over. Loki landed on his side, and when he tried to roll away, Phil placed a titanium-clad foot on his already injured chest, threw the scepter away from them, and aimed the repulsors at his head.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

xxxXXXxxx

The Mandarin held onto Tony's neck from behind. His left arm rounded the billionaire's throat, and his right hand sealed the lock. Tony gagged desperately, his eyes filling with tears of anguish as the air was taken away from him. He could feel his head starting to spin, and his muscles losing their strength; however, when his eyes found the pile of ash that had been Pepper, the rage that had almost left him for a moment returned with a vengeance.

_Not yet, not until Pepper's death has been avenged_. He began elbowing the Mandarin's side in the same spot as hard as he could until a broken rib caused the Mandarin to release the genius. Tony crawled his way away from the Mandarin, recovering the air that had been kept from him.

"Why Pepper?" He managed to choke out. "Why did you choose her?"

"Do not be a fool! I did not choose her. Destiny made it to be that way."

"Will you stop talking about destiny? You know nothing about being destined to do anything."

"And, you do?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. You think you were destined to rule the world, but if you were, then you'd be the King of Everything by now," Tony stood up, holding his side where blood was coming from. "But you're not. You're only destined to do one thing."

When the Mandarin narrowed his eyes at him but did not inquire any further, Tony took it as an invitation to continue. "To die…to be killed…by me."

Tony yelled and pushed himself toward the Mandarin, sending them both crashing to the ground. Mandarin struggled as he tried to push Tony off him, but the genius held on tight by surrounding the sides of the man with his legs. Tony then began punching the Mandarin's face, releasing his anger and sadness with every punch.

_I'm sorry, Pepper. I promised I would bring you back with me, but I didn't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

Mandarin took advantage of the slight diminishing of force on his legs, and wrapped them around Tony, pulling him off his chest and stepping over him as he ran to where his swords lay. Tony scrambled to his feet, but tripped and fell on his face. Mandarin reached his swords and picked them up, turned on his heels and ran toward Tony. The billionaire crawled away from the incoming mad man, stopping only when his back hit the wall, his hands patting the floor for anything he could use to stop the attack but finding nothing was good enough for the magnate.

_This is it_, Tony thought, seeing his life flash before his eyes. He saw Pepper's smile and heard the laughter of his kids. He then squeezed his eyes shut; he did not want his last image to be of the man that killed his wife. He moved his head to his left and it was then that he heard _it_.

The Mandarin joined his swords into one again, giving him a better grip on the final blow. The sound that Tony had heard distracted Gene Khan for only a nanosecond, his eyes looking back to see the cavalry finally arriving to the scene. He only had one chance to finish off Tony; his last chance, before any of the newly arrived Avengers made a move to stop him. The Mandarin's eyes returned to the billionaire and pushed forward, groaning when he felt the tip of the sword penetrate Tony's body. Mandarin had aimed for his heart, but Tony had moved at the last second and he had instead made a hole on the left side of his chest, right below his shoulder blade.

Gene tried to pull his sword out of Tony's chest and opt to decapitate the man, but it was then he realized he could not move an inch. Tony gave Mandarin a knowing smile, and his eyes lowered between the two. The Mandarin followed the path of Tony's eyes and his own eyes widened at what he saw. He then looked back up to stare at Tony before he turned to his right and saw the Mark XLIV standing over Loki, sans the left gauntlet on Coulson's arm; the gauntlet that was now punching a hole in Gene's stomach, while attached to Tony Stark's arm.

"Your destiny is over, Mandarin."

xxxXXXxxx

Tony pushed the Mandarin off him with his legs before aiming the repulsor at his chest, releasing a beam attack that sent the assailant to slam against the vault where his other weapons hung from, and stabbing his back with a sword that was kept there. The body of the terrorist then fell in a heap on the ground, a pool of blood quickly forming underneath him. Tony dropped his hand onto the floor; taking in deep breaths and feeling the silence of the room pushing down on his body. He stared to his left to shake his head at the newcomers, who in turn lowered their heads in understanding.

Thor walked up to Loki and lifted him by his collar, slapping an enchanted muzzle on him immediately. Coulson stepped out of the suit, and to the surprise of everyone, the man had regrown his arms and legs again. Tony chuckled, still on the floor, and gave Phil a small smile. "I thought you didn't want Extremis in you."

"Your AI has a way of putting things into perspective. Plus, you also have to thank your backstabbing, super nanny for the miracle."

"Gill?"

"Turns out she was one of the 2.0's."

Tony's eyes widened and stood up, fear filling him. "My kids, are they…?"

"They're alright," Coulson answered. "Your dog deserves a huge steak dinner. Because of him, I was able to take her down without any trouble; she was still re-growing her eyes by the time I got there. And the suborbital feature of your suit is great."

"And Happy?" Rhodey asked, joining the conversation.

"He's back at base. All of them are safe and sound. They were drugged, but they'll be fine."

"I shall take my brother from here. I will meet you back at the jet." The Thunderer informed them as he took off with Loki. Hawkeye and Steve stared at each other, both wanting to ask the difficult question but neither being able to say anything else. Rhodey, however, had no such reservations, and seeing as there was nothing more for them to do here, James wanted to know where the body lay.

"Where is she, man?"

"You should get out of here, Coulson. Suit up and go, or that cure's gonna kill you." Tony said, ignoring Rhodes' question for a moment.

Phil walked toward Tony and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered before he returned to the Mark XLIV. Tony let go of the gauntlet in his hand and it rejoined the armor as Phil left the premises through the hole Tony had made. The billionaire walked up to the now rather scattered pile of ash and knelt before it.

He sniffled and cleaned his nose with the inside of his shirt, his head bent down and being barely able to contain the shaking of his shoulders. He held the weight of his body with his fists on the floor, taking in choked breaths as the weight of the situation finally dawned on him now that the adrenaline of the fight was gone. Rhodey's eyes began to sting, but he held the pain at bay. Tony did not need people breaking down with him right now. He needed his friends to be strong for him. "Tony, you're bleeding."

"I know," Tony mumbled. "Flesh wound; I'll be fine."

"I'm gonna give these guys a ride. I'll be back for you in a minute."

Tony nodded but his eyes never left the dust. Rhodey looked up to stare at the body of the Mandarin, unmoving and still bleeding, and then faced the archer and the soldier and shrugged. The last thing Tony heard before the silence of the room engulfed him was the sound of Rhodey's repulsors taking the three Avengers back to the ship.

"Pepper," he uttered in a soft voice. "I don't mean to break my promises, you know that? I meant to take you back with me; I meant to keep this one." The billionaire stared at the ashes scattered around and wondered if he could find them all, take them back with him, and give Pepper a proper goodbye.

"I love you," he wiped tears streaks from his face with his palms. "I'm sorry." He covered his face with his trembling hands. "I'm sorry, Pep."

"No, you are not. Not yet," the raspy voice of Gene Khan said from behind Tony. The billionaire froze up, his hands still on his face. It was now that Tony remembered what everyone else had seemed to have forgotten: the original Extremis-like virus carrier was the Mandarin himself.

Tony felt the tip of the sword pinch the back of his neck but he did nothing to avoid the final blow.

"Goodbye, Tony Stark."

The genius closed his eyes and waited for the hit that never came. Instead of the piercing tool he had expected, a bright light shone before him, followed by a loud voice he thought he would never hear again.

"NO! Leave him alone!"

The light shone even brighter, forcing Tony to shift his face to look back over his shoulder just in time to see darkness enclosing Gene Khan. The Mandarin tried to pull himself from the void that threatened to devour him whole, but the power of the ring of Black Light was too strong for a half-breed. The look on the Mandarin's face would forever be engrained in Tony's memories: his pale skin, his bloodshot eyes, the recovering wound on his chest and stomach, and his outstretched hand as Gene Khan tried to reach the salvation he did not deserve to have.

The darkness began shrinking and shrinking until it finally disappeared, taking with it the last memory of the Mandarin.

xxxXXXxxx

"Tony?"

The scientist swallowed hard, slowly moving his face back to his front. He kept his gaze on the floor, unwilling to look up as to not break the hopes that were quickly growing within him. Even in his lowered stare he could make out the shape of her boots, the ones he had engraved on the edge of them the phrase: _Property of Tony Stark._

Tony held his breath, afraid to believe the truth. Was she just the illusion of an angel coming to say goodbye? Did angels wear boots?

"Tony, are you OK?" The feel of her hands on his cheeks was the last straw for him. He allowed her to lift his face upward, and brown eyes met blue. She was kneeling in front of him, an ethereal glow surrounding her, making her look surreal, like a figment of his imagination – a memory of his soul.

"Pepper?"

"Tony, you're bleeding," she said as her hand covered his injury. He felt warmth surround the area and when her hand pulled back, his wound had been closed. "Does it hurt anywhere else?"

Tony's lips trembled in pain. People did not cure other people; but maybe ghosts could. People did not shine like light bulbs, but maybe ghosts did. "Are you dead?"

Pepper smiled. "No, why?"

"You…you're glowing."

Pepper looked down at her body and realized Tony was correct. "Oh! Forgot to turn that off," she mumbled and in instant she looked as normal as he remembered her. "Sorry, still getting the hang of these rings."

Tony's eyes widened, only now daring to cup her face in his hands. "Wait, you're not a ghost?"

"A ghost?" Pepper was taken aback. "Did they hit you in the head?"

"No, Pepper…you…you died."

"Oh, yeah…well, not really. Turns out the Ritual of Worthiness doesn't happen outside. It happens within," she pressed a finger onto his chest. "In the soul, not in the body. I passed, so the Makluan allowed me to come back to you."

"The ritual of what?"

Pepper shook her head. "Nothing, it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that it's over now. The Mandarin is gone."

"Yeah, about that; where did he go?"

Pepper shrugged. "Somewhere else; somewhere… Out There. Maybe not even to a _place_. I don't know, but I don't think he's coming back."

"Pepper," he mumbled before he embraced her tightly, causing the woman to squeak. She returned the embrace to him with equal devotion, thanking the forces that be for letting her come back to him. Tony kissed the side of her face, her neck and her shoulder, not wanting to let go of her lest she disappeared from sight if he did. "I thought I'd lost you for good. Don't ever do that to me again."

"I'm sorry, Tony, but…I can't promise that."

"What? Why?" Tony pulled back and stared at her with wild eyes.

Pepper released her grip on him and showed him her hands. "I'm the keeper of the rings now. The responsibility is mine."

"What…what does that mean?"

"It means that I can't let anyone take them again. At least not anyone that would misuse them, just like Gene did."

"Who is Gene?"

"The Mandarin," Pepper chuckled. "I have a lot to tell you."

"Well, all I want to know is if you're going to stay with me, with us."

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I, Tony?"

Tony shook his head. "Nevermind, then. Nevermind."

The couple embraced each other again, and did not let go until Rhodey returned to the scene of the crime only to be surprised to see Pepper was back; back from the dead, from beating the odds, once again.

* * *

**A/N:** Did you really think I was gonna kill Pepper here too? I'm not that mean! Thank you for your reviews! See what happens when they come up? A chapter follows! Well, one more chapter to go and then the fun epilogue, and we're done! In case anyone was wondering, Captain America really does lift Thor's hammer in the comics, so I'm not really defying the series' logic. BTW, who can guess what protocol FTS stands for? Virtual cookies for you!


	37. Chapter 36

**A/N: **ROFLAMAO! FTS = Fuck this shit! Congrats to everyone who guessed it correctly!

* * *

**Chapter 36**

Frank blew his nose on a tissue, which caused Darcy to stare weirdly at him from the corner of her eye. Both of them were standing at the back of the room, making sure everything ran smoothly for the happy couple exchanging vows at the front, but as the event progressed, Frank was getting louder and louder. Darcy ignored the second and third hiccup coming from her companion, but after the fourth deep sigh, Darcy had to pull him away from the room and into the hall.

"Why are you crying?" Darcy whispered, not wanting her voice to interrupt the ceremony taking place. There were hardly any people present –only close friends, so the smallest move or whisper could easily be heard across the aisle.

"Weddings always make me cry," Frank whispered between sobs, now feeling as if he could just let his bottled up emotions go even though they were still very close to the wide entrance door of the small room.

"But, you're a party planner, Frank! Aren't you used to them by now? Shit, _you_ organized _this_ wedding!"

"I know, but…God! I can't get used to them; not when such a beauty is taken off the market, no."

Darcy smiled and her eyes landed on the glowing redhead ahead. "I know what you mean." The young woman agreed. "Even with her seven-month baby bump, Natasha looks great in that dress."

"Miss Romanoff?" Frank scoffed. "No, no, no! She looks gorgeous and all, but I was talking about the groom!"

Darcy rolled her eyes at Frank before the man leaned his forehead on her shoulder and began sobbing again as the minister pronounced the Hawk and the Widow husband and wife, a proclamation that was inevitably followed by the long awaited command of "you may kiss the bride."

xxxXXXxxx

The silence in the room was welcoming, peaceful and incited the genius to nap again; it was a complete contrast to the ambiance of the party that had happened in his house last night. He could not remember when he had become so pathetic, not being able to survive long party nights as he used to before. The current nap was actually an extension of his short sleep after Natasha and Clint's wedding, but he could afford a couple more hours of sleep. He knew he should have been up and out of the mansion hours ago –he was not sure how Pepper had been able to just leave for SI before the sun was even up – but the bed refused to let him go, and he had just found the perfect spot on the mattress for his muscles to continue to relax. He felt his mind drift off again, tempting him with another long nap, but it was then that he felt something cold and humid hitting his face.

Tony opened his left eye only as he spat and snorted the water off his face. When he finally opened both eyes and looked up, he found his sassy new PA, smiling without shame at what she had just done, empty glass still in her hand. Tony shook his head before mumbling to her. "You have a lot of nerve dousing water on the face of the guy who signs your paychecks, Lewis." He wiped his face with his hand.

Darcy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Uh, first off: _you_ don't sign my paychecks; Pepper does. And, two: she told me to get my boss –that's you – off his ass, dressed and on your way to the video business meeting you have in about half an hour, on time. She even allowed me to use any means necessary to get this done."

Tony groaned and tried to pull his blanket over his face again, but Darcy was quicker and snatched the last protection he had on him. "Jarvis, lights on," she demanded of the AI, who complied immediately. The bright California sun hit him like a ton of bricks, his pupils hurting in the process of getting adjusted to the change in light.

"You're mean!" Tony spat. "If I'd known you were gonna be worse than Pepper, I'd never have hired you!"

"Well, you did. So, get up, or Pepper's gonna kill us both!" Darcy walked to the closet and started taking out his clothes and laying them on the bed. Tony growled loudly as he got up and dragged his feet to the bathroom for a quick shower.

"You're no fun, Lewis."

"That's not what Rhodey said last night." She responded without losing a beat.

"Ugh!" Tony covered his ears. "I don't want to hear that!"

"Then get in the shower and be out in five minutes! And if you fall asleep on the toilet again, this time I'll take a picture and have Jarvis put it on the web."

"You suck," he mumbled before slamming the door shut.

"You're welcome!" She responded with a small smile on her face. Annoying the hell out of Tony in the morning was her favorite part of her new job.

xxxXXXxxx

"Vacation? When was the last time _you_ took a vacation?" Steve asked Maria as he sat in the chair in front of her desk. She had just received an e-mail from Director Fury, indicating he was taking an extended leave, and that he had left right after Barton and Romanoff had left for their honeymoon, which meant she was in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the next month.

"I remember my parents taking me to Disneyland when I was 8." She responded, her eyes glued to the screen.

"_That _was your last vacation?" Steve's eyes shot up to the ceiling. "You need a break!"

"Yeah, I know." She conceded as she opened yet another e-mail marked as _urgent_. "Maybe when Director Fury returns, I'll take a three-day weekend off."

Steve chuckled, adjusting his back in the chair. "That's not a vacation; that's…a holiday weekend."

"Well, there are things that need to be done here, you know. With Fury, Natasha and Clint out, Jasper, Coulson and I have to run the ship." She hit her desk with a fist when she saw another urgent e-mail arrive to her inbox.

"But when Fury comes back, so will Barton; that's enough people, if you ask me."

"And then a month after that Barton will be out again on paternity leave."

"But Fury will be here again."

"But Fury _needs_ me to help him."

"But I _need _you to go on a vacation with me."

The incessant typing and clicking ended, and Maria stared at Steve with a small smile. "Really?"

"Well, yeah," Steve rubbed the back of his neck; he was still getting accustomed to talking to women in such a direct way. "If…if you want to come with. I need a vacation myself."

Maria returned her eyes to the screen and continued answering e-mails. "Well, I'll think about it. But, we're taking my car, not your bike, deal?"

"Deal," Steve responded as he stood up from the chair. "Well, I gotta go run some reports. See you at lunch?"

"Sure."

Maria noticed that Steve hesitated for an instant but eventually left the room. When she heard the door close behind him, her eyes stared at the spot he had just left, and it was then she saw the single red rose left on the desk. She grabbed it with care and placed it in her previously empty vase, shaking her head. The next e-mail that arrived to her inbox marked as urgent did not upset her anymore.

xxxXXXxxx

Erik sat by himself in the large lab at S.H.I.E.L.D., staring in boredom at the results of the latest analysis. The amount of space seemed even wider now that Darcy had become employed by SI, and Jane had just left this morning with Thor to visit Asgard once more. Having nothing else to do for now he had been left to work on their Makluan science findings all by himself; well, not entirely all by himself – the Mark L was mixing up chemicals on the other side of the room.

"Jarvis?"

"Sir?"

"What are you working on now? Another Extremis serum or just the cure for cancer?" Selvig joked, amazed of how it had been Jarvis who had been the one to find a way to turn the Extremis into the new super soldier serum without the nasty aggressive side effects –which was now being researched and tested on in Coulson's body – and an immediate, non-lethal cure to the Extremis virus.

"A request from Mrs. Stark."

"Oh? Can you share or is it a secret?"

"I am not at liberty to release the details, but she requested I created something for her to give to Doctor Banner."

"Banner? What is he up to now?"

"I do not believe he is aware of this."

"Ah!" Selvig said and nodded. "A surprise."

"Indeed."

Selvig eyes returned to the results on the screen as he thought about everything that had happened after the battle in the Valley of Spirits. Despite the threats and obstacles, they had finally been able to move on with their lives after one final meeting of the team, going over the all the facts before the Extremis/Mandarin mission was officially filed as completed. The soldiers –all of them, had been treated with the cure. The Mandarin's castle had been bombed to the ground after the ship had been taken out in pieces, and was now kept at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base.

Aldrich Killian had been confirmed to be dead by Pepper's hand, and after a long interrogation Loki had confessed that he had been planning to take the throne of Asgard with the use of the Makluan soldiers he had been promised to get from the Mandarin himself.

As far as the terrorist went, Fury had described his status as "neutralized", to which Tony had responded that _neutralized_, in this case, meant having a one-way ticket shoved up his ass and being shipped off to the Twilight Zone. The Mandarin's fate had been filed as "undetermined," as not even Pepper was sure herself of where the Darkforce had sent him off to. There was a chance he was still living, but not in the way a normal person would consider someone to be alive.

Selvig shuddered at the thought; he just did not want to know the details of being lost in an unknown dimension with no chance of escape.

The rings of power had been taken away with Loki and Thor to Asgard, and were now being kept in Odin's Vault, watched over 24/7 by the new version of the Destroyer and other guards. Pepper had kept the headband with her, however, as it was now linked to her as much as the rings were. She had only kept the piece of Makluan technology around so that she could check up on the rings through it whenever possible or needed, and as a secondary measure of security if someone or something decided to take the rings from the vault.

The headband allowed Pepper to call the rings to her from anywhere they could be, and a part of her consciousness would forever remain inside them. Even though the rings only responded to her now, she was not taking any chances; she did not want anyone else to go through the pain the rings had caused them all. Part of the arrangement for her to be allowed to return to Earth after the Ritual of Worthiness was to be the safe-keeper of the rings; a burden she would one day have to pass on to someone else when her time to die came. Tony had not allowed her to dwell on that fact for long, and had instead tasked himself and the other scientists on the team with coming up with a way to destroy the rings. Nick Fury had not been thrilled about the idea, but Tony's reasoning that they could not really trust anyone else not to misuse the power of the rings was all the logic that was needed to make everyone understand.

Selvig took a sip of his coffee and looked up at Jarvis once more. The more he interacted with the machine, the more he realized why Coulson and Tony kept him around. The AI was always thinking, always working, always looking for ways to help out around here. Perhaps, Erik wondered, the AI was due for a vacation itself.

"Hey, Jarvis?"

"Sir?"

"Have you ever been to a bar?"

"Other than when Mr. Stark used the suit to travel to some, no, I have not."

"Well, when you're done with whatever it is that you're doing, I want to take you to one."

"But, I lack the digestive system to process alcohol."

Selvig laughed. "It's not about getting drunk, Jarvis. It's about the company; having fun."

Jarvis remained quiet for a moment, as if considering the idea. Finally he spoke again. "Perhaps Mr. Stark should have been informed of that a long time ago."

Selvig laughed even harder, and shook his head. "Maybe we'll tell him together after we get out of the bar ourselves."

xxxXXXxxx

Bruce pulled on the edge of his collar, the suit and tie he was wearing made him uncomfortable as hell. For the nth time he cursed himself in his mind for having accepted to come to this date. It was not as if he did not like the company, but he hated public places, and he hated having to dress up. The restaurant Pepper and Natasha had picked was very upscale, and had it not been for their sad faces, he would have never agreed to this.

_When did a simple 'thank you' become not enough?_ Bruce mused. Ever since their return from China, Pepper and Natasha had said that everyone –especially the two of them, owed Bruce for so much. If it had not been for Bruce, Natasha would have died of Malaria, and Tony would have died of his virus clusterfuck he injected himself with. In addition, Pepper insisted that his meditation sessions and advice had been the key to completing the Ritual of Worthiness with flying colors. She had never gone into details as to what the test she had been given entailed, but she swore it had been Bruce's words and actions that had helped her return.

They had been planning this outing for weeks, but it had to be placed on hold when Natasha left for her honeymoon. Now that the redhead was back, there was no excuse for him not to go out on a double-date with the women. Even Tony and Clint had pushed him to go through with it; Clint insisting that going out on Tony's dime was well worth it. As he was gaining the guts to just rush out of the restaurant, Pepper and Natasha arrived at the table. He stood up and gave them a bright smile. He expected them to sit down and was going to pull the chairs out for them but his still annoyed face made the two women frown.

"Aw, Bruce. Do you really hate being here? We want you to have fun. Relax, for once." Pepper said.

Bruce gave them both an apologetic smile, wringing his hands as he did when caught. "I'm just not used to this, and well…I don't want to be on the list of who is the father of Black Widow's baby," he pointed to Natasha's very pregnant belly.

Natasha laughed aloud and patted her stomach, shaking her head at the scientist. "That's not gonna happen, Bruce. No one even knows we're here!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You," Banner pointed to Pepper, "are the wife of Iron Man –they've already associated me with you before, remember?" Bruce asked, recalling the events of the list of possible fathers for Pepper's twins when news of the babies had been leaked. "And you," he pointed to Natasha, "are one of the heroes of the Battle of New York and the wife of a Class-A Master Assassin, who is known to be a jealous guy. I wouldn't be surprised if Clint tagged you before you came here."

Both redheads snorted, but their disagreement did not make Bruce feel any better about this. "Well, Bruce does have a point, Natalie. Maybe this is a bad idea."

Natasha shrugged. "I don't think the relaxing part is a bad idea, but the company…well, he might be onto something. Maybe going out with two married woman is not the best way to say thank you. What do you think, Pepper?"

Pepper tapped her chin with her finger and nodded. "I think you might be right. Bruce, I don't think we can stay."

"That's all right." Bruce said almost immediately, relieved to have gotten himself out of being in the media again.

"But," Natalie interjected. "We brought someone who might make you stay." As if rehearsed – and now Bruce wondered if it had been – the two women parted ways to reveal the third woman that had come with them. Bruce's mouth went agape, an action that was reflected on the brunette's face.

"Bruce?"

Banner froze on the spot as his new date walked toward him. She stood in front of him and placed a hand on his face. "Betty?"

The sound of her name from his voice made her smile. The redheads close by also smiled with them, thrilled to see the look of happiness on the doctor's face. Pepper nudged Natasha with her elbow and whispered down to her. "I think we just became invisible, Natalie."

"I'm gonna agree with you on that. Should we ditch now?"

"Yeah, I think Tony and Clint should be out there waiting for us by now." Pepper took out from her purse a small box and left it on the table as they left the restaurant, the couple not even noticing when the women left. The box on the table had Bruce's name on it, and inside was a set of three vials. A single folded paper had been placed below the ready-to-use syringes, with a handwritten note that read: _Hulk needs a vacation for a while; Jarvis sends his regards._

xxxXXXxxx

Tony walked down to his basement in the Malibu home where he knew he would find his wife. Every month she took some time at night, after the kids had gone to bed, to come here and check-up on the rings. When his feet reached the last step of the stairs, Pepper was removing the headband from her head and placing it back inside its protective case. She locked the small compartment with the key code only she knew, and stood up from the chair, vault in hand.

Tony observed as she walked to the larger vault on the wall of the basement and walked inside. A few seconds later, Pepper came out of the vault and locked it behind her, giving a sigh of relief when her back pressed against the cold metal wall.

"Everything alright, Pep?" Tony asked from his position by the entrance of the room. Pepper looked up at him and nodded. Tony took this as an invitation to walk inside and did not stop his feet until he stood in front of her. He grabbed her by her waist and titled his head to the left, giving her a side smirk. "You're beautiful."

Pepper bit her lip and giggled lightly, looking away to avoid his deep gaze. "So you say, Mr. Stark."

"So I say, Mrs. Stark, and my word is law around these parts."

Pepper chuckled, laced her arms around his neck and returned her eyes to him. "Your word is law until Gigi bats her eyelashes at you and asks you to let her have one more cookie after I explicitly say 'no more.'"

Tony flinched. "Guilty as charged but, you don't understand, Pepper. Have you seen her face when she begs? How can I deny one more cookie to a little version of you?"

"You have no trouble denying it to Robbie."

"That's different." Tony scoffed. "Robbie is supposed to grown up to be a tough man. Tough men don't eat cookies."

Pepper raised a single eyebrow at her husband. "You ate an entire box last night."

"I am Iron Man. You don't get any tougher than that; having cookies doesn't affect me at all."

Pepper shook her head lightly. "Firstly, you're no longer Iron Man; and, secondly: you are bad, Mr. Stark," she teased him with a light kiss on his lips. The quick gesture made him close his eyes and moan.

"Firstly: I'll always be Iron Man, even in retirement; and, secondly: you're one to talk, Potts. I can recall a handful of occasions when _you_ have been the real _bad_ one."

"Do you? Maybe I should be grounded for it?"

"Yes, my word is law, remember? You're grounded…for the next…few hours," he said in between kisses.

"Are the kids asleep?"

"Out like a light."

"Well, in that case…" Pepper pulled away from him and grabbed his hand to lead him to the staircase. "I think we should start my punishment now."

"The sooner, the better," Tony agreed, trailing behind her with a silly smile on his face. Halfway up the stairs he stopped and snapped his fingers together. "Wait, I forgot something."

"What?"

Tony extended his arm toward the still opened door of the lab and in seconds the new pair of bracelets of the recently rendered Mark XLIX made it to his hand. Pepper gave him a questioning look and he just shrugged. "You'll see," he answered her unspoken question and she nodded once.

"Right. We're wasting time, Tony." She purred as she began pulling him up with her again.

"No time like the present." He responded, taking the steps two at a time.

"Time and time again." She sing-songed when they reached the top of the stairs.

"Once in a lifetime." He picked her up from the floor and she surrounded his waist with her legs.

"Ready for the time of your life?" She asked him as they made their way up to their bedroom.

"Baby," he kissed her again. "I was born ready."

"Actions, not words, Tony Stark."

"Oh, you'll be eating those words, Pepper Potts."

"For once, Tony, I hope I do."

* * *

**A/N:** So…almost over…yeah, go ahead and press NEXT. The epilogue has been uploaded, too.


	38. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_9 years later…_

The 100th birthday party for Steve Rogers had been everything Maria had hoped it would be. The food had been great – Frank had awesome chef friends, and Steve had gotten over the depressing fact that he was a century old rather quickly when the old family came together again. It had taken Maria months to organize the party for her husband, but in the end it had finally paid off.

Amongst the highlights of the party had been the announcement of Natasha's second pregnancy, and Thor's official appointment as King of Asgard. The last news was bittersweet, however, since it also meant Jane had to leave Earth, permanently. The news of Darcy's engagement to her boyfriend had also been a shock to everyone, especially when Rhodey had been listening in. Nevertheless, the two of them had broken up on good terms with each other almost four years ago, so when Rhodey congratulated the engaged couple, everyone took a sigh of relief. Happy had just retired from his Head of Security position, and had announced he was getting ready to travel around the world with Rhodey. They both had promised not to scratch the War Machine outfit that much.

Nick Fury had also announced his retirement from S.H.I.E.L.D., which meant Maria was taking over the lead of the organization, and Phil Coulson was ascending to Deputy Director to replace her. Natasha and Clint now mostly worked intelligence and where hardly in the field unless training of new members was involved.

Steve had received many gifts, but the best of them all had come from the God of Thunder himself. The Thunderer was still impressed that Steve had been deemed worthy to carry Mjölnir, so after asking for Captain's shield for a few months, he had returned it to him during his birthday party, surprising everyone with the news that the vibranium shield had been combined with the Asgardian metal uru and now also possessed the strength and enchantment of Mjölnir, having been re-forged by the same dwarfs that been commissioned to create the magical hammer for Thor. Steve was not sure what it meant, but Thor had insisted it was an honor very few mortals had the option to be bestowed upon.

Now that the party had ended, the Stark family found themselves riding back home, cruising on the PCH, Pepper and Tony having to deal with the consequences of two ten-year-olds high on a sugar rush. Pepper was the one having the most difficult time of all, since in addition to the fighting twins in the back of the car; she also had a complaining Tony at the wheel.

"I just don't understand why you won't let me rig my sports car to fit four people. Tony Stark should never be seen driving a reject of the soccer mom club."

"Tony, this car cost more than a semester at MIT. It's not a reject of anything. Besides, how do you plan to rig the Audi to fit four people? It doesn't even have a back to it!"

"Hence the rig, Honey. Do you know what 'rig' entails? Making something do something it didn't do before."

"You mean like you rigged my perfectly usable espresso machine to work as a radiation radar?"

"OK, first: it's not a radiation radar. It's an Extremis soldier detector. And, two, you only have an espresso once in a blue moon. The machine just sits there doing nothing most of the time!"

"Well, what about Jarvis? You put a homing device in his collar!" Pepper responded.

"That was not a homing device; it was a 'security measure.' I need to know where the dog is, at all times."

Pepper sighed, opened her mouth, but her retort died on her lips when she heard the argument behind them picking up.

"MOM! Robbie said I'm adopted! Is that true? Am I adopted?"

"Robert, stop telling your sister lies."

"It's not a lie! She looks like Auntie Natalie, doesn't she?"

"Robert," Tony interjected. "Not all redheads are related. Besides, your sister is more blonde than redhead. Let it go, now."

"But, dad!"

"Shut it!"

Gwyneth giggled and pointed a mocking finger at her brother. "I told you so."

The ride became quiet for the first time since they had left Steve's party until Robert spoke up once more. "Dad? Can you build me a magical shield like Steve's?"

"What? I thought you liked Iron Man better than Captain America!"

"I did…"

Tony smiled.

"Until he got the magical shield…"

Tony frowned. "What makes you think I can make you a magical shield? He got that done by Thor."

"Well, maybe you can ask him to make me one."

"That's not how it works."

"How does it work then?" Gwyneth asked. "'Cuz if Robbie gets a magical shield, I want one, too."

"Nobody is getting a magical shield," Pepper said, which caused the twins to groan in disappointment.

"Mom, maybe _you_ can ask Thor to make us a shield?"

"Seriously, dude," Tony began. "What makes you think your mom has a better chance at getting you the shield?"

"Well, mom has a vagina, right?"

The parents and Gwyneth's eyes widened at Robert's response. "You're not supposed to know about that, Robbie," Gwyneth crossed her arms. "That's girl's stuff."

"No it's not. Everyone knows girls have vaginas."

Pepper rubbed her temples with her hands before she stared at Tony. Tony shook his head, letting his wife know it was not his fault their son knew what a vagina was.

"Robbie, where did you hear that word?"

"Aunt Darcy told me about it. She said that all girls can get anything they want because they have vaginas. So, that means you can get a shield out of Thor for me, because you have one, right?"

The car was silent for a moment again until Gwyneth slapped her hands together in realization. "Wait a moment! I have a vagina, too! I can ask Thor for a magical shield!"

"That's not fair!" Robert spat. "I don't have one!"

"Na-na-na-na-NA-na!" Gwyneth mocked her brother once more, doing a small dance from her side of the seat.

"You're stupid," Robert told his sister, desperate that the vagina issue was going to leave him without a magical shield.

"Don't call your sister that, Robert." Tony spat, eyeing them from the rear view mirror.

"But she is!" The boy argued.

"Robert, be quiet!" Pepper eyed him for a moment before her eyes then moved to the girl. "And you, stop making fun of your brother. Nobody is getting magical shields and nobody says the V-word anymore and that's final!"

The twins pouted and looked away from each other, mad at the other for making the parental units mad at them. After half an hour, the car arrived at the entrance tunnel of the basement, and both parents sighed in relief at finally arriving home. Tony turned off the engine, unbuckled his belt and exited the car.

"Welcome home," the AI chirped in from the PA system.

"Hi, Jarvis." Tony responded as he helped Robert get out of the car, and Pepper did the same for Gwyneth on her end of the vehicle. The look of anger on the twins' face was yet to dissipate.

"Sir, I am detecting an anomaly in the premises. Further investigation is recommended."

Pepper and Tony exchanged concerned looks, their grips on their kids' shoulders tightening. "Where is the anomaly coming from, J?"

"It is difficult to pinpoint, sir. I've never seen readings exactly like these, though they seem faintly familiar."

"Tony," Pepper whimpered, her eyes already turning orange in anticipation of an incoming attack. "The kids…"

"Robert, get your sister out of here, now!" The father ordered, sharing the same fears his wife displayed on her face.

"I don't like her!" The boy spat.

"This is not the time!" Tony responded.

"I don't like you either!" The girl yelled louder.

"Shut up!"

"No, YOU shut up!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Pepper snapped.

"You made mom mad at ME!" Robert accused his sister.

"You started it!" The girl defended herself.

"ROBERT!" Tony yelled. "SISTER. OUT. NOW!"

"The readings are becoming stronger, sir."

"NO! Get away from me!"

"GWYNETH!"

"I said I DON'T LIKE YOU!" The boy yelled, raising his right fist to strike his sister, his eyes suddenly glowing orange with anger and his arm catching on fire. In response, Gwyneth extended her right arm in front of her and the right-hand gauntlet of the nearby Mark XLIX flew toward her, surrounding the small hand with its protection, aiming the repulsor at her brother. For a moment, neither of them moved, both staring at the other with righteous sibling anger, but after a few blinks, the two children realized what they were doing and what had just happened and began staring at their limbs in surprise and awe.

"I believe I have determined the source of the anomalous readings, sir."

Neither child dared to make the next move, both afraid of their parents' reactions, and both unsure of what they had just done themselves. Pepper's mouth hung open, her eyes now returning to their normal color, as she stared between the two kids and then to an equally shocked Tony Stark. The scientist lifted his arms in the air and sighed loudly.

"Yeah, sure, WHY NOT?"

**The End**

* * *

**A/N:** *insert evil laugh here* Well, that's that for now. I am now on my merry way to write the sequel to 30 Days, but please give my brain a couple of weeks. I'm hoping I can write the entire sequel by then and then just post it all at once, or one chapter per day or something like that. *crosses fingers* Either way, you will get at least one chapter before the two weeks are up.

Now, as far as a sequel to this…there might be one…but I won't be writing it. My beta, husband and fellow writer Teen Tyrant will be taking up the mantle for me. I'll probably be posting it under my name, but only about...12% of the credit will go to me. My next project is the sequel to 30 Days, and after that…we'll see. A giant thank you to each and every single one of you who read, commented, favorite and followed me or this story, and Shadows of the Past. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that we get to see each other again very soon, and on and on until my fingers aren't able to type anymore.

Ciao!


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